Dental Public Health Selective Course

group of 23 people
Dr. Paula Ortega-Verdugo (front row, third from left) with most of the 22 D.D.S. students who completed the Selective in Dental Public Health course in fall 2024.
December 19, 2024

During the spring 2024 academic quarter, the UCLA School of Dentistry's Section of Public and Population Health began offering a course titled Selective in Dental Public Health, chaired by Dr. Paula Ortega-Verdugo.

Twenty-two D.D.S. students during the recent fall 2024 quarter received a certificate of completion after presenting their literature review projects on Dec. 6.

Among the topics discussed in this optional course are oral health workforce distribution, prevention and intervention in the dental setting, dental health status, the needs of the U.S. population, and access to care. Dr. Ortega-Verdugo invites leaders in the Dental Public Health field to discuss the roles of public, uniformed health services and federal organizations in promoting oral health and the delivery of dental healthcare services. Among the guest speakers were:

  • Dr. Mary Tavares, Senior Clinical Investigator from The ADA Forsyth Institute
  • Dr. Jennifer Holtzman, Dental Officer from the Bureau of Health Workforce
  • Dr. Maritza Cabezas, Dental Director of the Oral Health Program of Los Angeles County Department
  • Dr. Joshua Cohen, Surgeon General’s specialty leader for Preventive Dentistry at Dental Center Camp Pendleton, San Diego