Guest Editorial: OUCOD Celebrates 50 years of Serving

OUCOD Celebrates 50 Years of Serving

Paul Mullasseril, DDS, MS DEAN, OU COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY

Many years ago, I made the decision to immigrate to the United States with nothing but $250, one suitcase and a deep admiration for the work and education taking place at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, where I was coming to complete a graduate prosthodontics program. Having served in many roles at the college since then, I am grateful for the chance to continue the legacy of excellence established by previous leadership and look forward to a future of ongoing innovation and progress at the OU College of Dentistry. One thing I admire about the college is the focus not only on providing excellent education and resources to students and patients, but also on how to best care for the oral health needs of the community. With that in mind, there is so much to look forward to at the OU College of Dentistry. In 2021, the college announced the expansion of its predoctoral program to the OU-Tulsa campus and the construction of a brand new, state-ofthe-art dental clinic located in the OU Health Physicians Schusterman Center Clinic building on the OU-Tulsa campus. Construction of the 5,000 square-foot clinic is already underway, and it is expectedto open in June 2022. This new student clinic will provide routine dental cleanings and fillings and advanced procedures such as restorations and emergency extractions. This is a big step in addressing the growing need for accessible and affordable dental care across the state of Oklahoma. In addition, plans are underway for a brand new, state-of-the-art OU Health Dentistry Faculty Practice Clinic and Clinical Research Facility, which will be located on the OU Health Sciences Center campus. This new clinic will provide more opportunities to treat patients while expanding more opportunities to clinical research at the college. In addition, September 2022 marks 50 years since the college accepted its first class of dental students. This landmark event will be celebrated with alumni and friends September 21-24, 2022. Please mark your calendars to join in on this momentous occasion. More details will be provided as they are confirmed. While the OU College of Dentistry has certainly come a long way in our 50-year history, the college is exceptionally excited about the next 50 years! As I look to the future and my goals for the college, I have laid out several key areas to focus on. Some include becoming the leader in dental health care in the state, use of advanced technology in dental clinics, providing quality customer care to patients, becoming the regional leader in continuing dental education, recruiting the most capable students across the country, promote diversity, equity and inclusion and accelerate clinical research.

In the years to come, the OU College of Dentistry looks forward to educating students and treating patients in Oklahoma as advancements in dentistry continue to progress.