August 10, 2014
The University of British Columbia now offers a graduate program in dental public health. Approved by the board of governors last April, the first intake of students to pursue a combined Master of Public Health degree from the Faculty of Medicine School of Population & Public Health with a diploma in Dental Public Health from the Faculty of Dentistry will begin in September.
Dental public health is an area of dentistry focused on promoting oral health as well as preventing and controlling oral and dental diseases.
The two-and-a-half-year program at UBC is non-clinical and no thesis is required. It involves course-based work that focuses on research and experience in the field.
“The curriculum is ingrained in critical thinking and evidence-based practice that combines a broad spectrum of courses from the UBC School of Population & Public Health and the Faculty of Dentistry,” explains Dr. Mario Brondani, Dentistry assistant professor and interim director of the program.
Research areas in the program may include community-based health programs and interventions, health disparities and determinants of oral health, health policy and critical issues in dental public health, program evaluation and oral health services utilization, access to care by marginalized communities, and analysis of health expenditures using provincial, national and international data sets.
The field experience component is a six-month practicum at a local, national or international organization. Students will develop a major capstone project related to their practicum placement and will be encouraged to publish their capstone project results. “The program is an ideal fit for graduates of UBC’s Dental Hygiene Degree Program looking for an advanced educational avenue,” notes Dr. Edward Putnins, associate dean of Research, Graduate & Postgraduate Studies.
Applicants for the program should hold a Bachelor of Dental Science in Dental Hygiene degree or equivalent dental hygiene education with a four-year bachelor’s degree, or a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree or equivalent.
Click here for more information including course requirements and the application process >>