Goals:
The following goals and objectives provide a framework for achieving the program’s mission and philosophy and are used to guide planning, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement.
Goal 1: Education
Prepare competent, ethical, and reflective dental hygiene professionals through an evidence-based, student-centered educational program that fosters clinical excellence, critical thinking, lifelong learning, and collaborative practice.
1.1 Recruit, admit, and retain qualified students who demonstrate the potential to successfully complete the educational program and contribute to the dental hygiene profession.
1.2 Provide didactic and clinical instruction through an interactive, competency-based curriculum that is regularly evaluated and continuously improved to meet the evolving needs of the profession.
1.3 Provide didactic and clinical instruction in a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that promotes professional identity formation, ethical development, resilience, technical competency, and practice management skills.
1.4 Foster critical thinking, clinical reasoning, evidence-based decision-making, and lifelong learning throughout the curriculum.
1.5 Integrate biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences to support comprehensive, patient-centered care.
1.6 Incorporate intraprofessional and interprofessional education and practice into the curriculum.
1.7 Foster leadership, advocacy, professionalism, and service that advance the dental hygiene profession and improve oral health.
Goal 2: Patient Care
Provide safe, comprehensive, evidence-based, patient-centered dental hygiene care that promotes oral and overall health.
2.1 Provide high-quality, safe, efficient, comprehensive, patient-centered care in a humanistic environment that supports the College's educational and service missions.
2.2 Foster the delivery of evidence-based preventive, therapeutic, and educational dental hygiene services that improve oral and overall health outcomes.
2.3 Promote continuous quality improvement through outcomes assessment, quality assurance, reflective practice, and the use of quality improvement principles.
2.4 Prepare students to provide culturally responsive, inclusive, and patient-centered care that respects the diverse values, beliefs, needs, and backgrounds of the individuals and communities they serve.
2.5 Prepare students to demonstrate ethical decision-making, professional responsibility, accountability, and integrity in all aspects of patient care.
2.6 Prepare students to collaborate effectively with dentists and other health professionals as members of interprofessional healthcare teams to optimize patient outcomes.
GOAL 3: Research and Scholarly Activity
Foster a culture of scholarly inquiry, evidence-based practice, research, and innovation among students and faculty.
3.1 Support faculty engagement in research and scholarly activities by providing mentorship, resources, and opportunities for professional development.
3.2 Integrate research and scholarly inquiry with the educational mission of the College by providing students with opportunities for direct experience in meaningful research activities under faculty mentorship.
3.3 Create a culture in which achievements in research and scholarly activity by both faculty and students are recognized and rewarded.
3.4 Prepare students to critically evaluate scientific literature and apply evidence to clinical decision-making.
GOAL 4: Community Service
Foster community engagement and service that improve access to oral healthcare, advance health equity, and promote oral health throughout Oklahoma.
4.1 Promote student, faculty, and staff participation in community service and professional organizations that advance oral health and public service.
4.2 Develop and strengthen partnerships with community organizations, healthcare providers, and public agencies to improve oral health education and access to care.
4.3 Provide community-based educational and clinical experiences that emphasize disease prevention, health promotion, and wellness across the lifespan.
4.4 Foster student understanding of social determinants of health, health equity, and barriers to care through service-learning and community engagement activities.
4.5 Encourage participation in outreach activities that increase access to preventive and therapeutic oral healthcare services for underserved and vulnerable populations.
4.6 Promote interprofessional community initiatives that improve the oral and overall health of the public it serves.
GOAL 5: Faculty
Provide students with highly qualified faculty while fostering a culture that supports excellence in teaching, scholarship, innovation, mentorship, and professional growth.
5.1 Recruit and retain faculty with the education, expertise, and commitment necessary to achieve excellence in teaching, clinical practice, scholarship, and service.
5.2 Foster a culture of mentoring that supports the professional growth, career development, and success of both faculty and students.
5.3 Encourage innovation in teaching, clinical education, assessment, technology, and scholarly activities to enhance student learning and patient care.
5.4 Support faculty development through continuing education, leadership opportunities, scholarship, and professional service.
5.5 Cultivate a faculty community that values diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a broad range of professional expertise to enrich teaching, scholarship, and service.
5.6 Engage in continuous assessment and quality improvement to enhance faculty effectiveness, educational excellence, and program outcomes.
GOAL 6: Learning Environment and Resources
Provide contemporary learning environments, technologies, and resources that support excellence in education, patient care, research, clinical education, and innovation.
6.1 Incorporate relevant innovations in information technology and management as an integral facet of the College's goals in the areas of teaching, patient care, research, and service.
6.2 Provide students with access to contemporary technologies, equipment, and digital resources that prepare them for evolving models of dental hygiene practice.
6.3 Maintain and continuously enhance the program’s physical, technological, and educational resources to support excellence in teaching, learning, patient care, and scholarship.
Review of Mission, Philosophy, and Goals
The mission, philosophy, goals, and objectives of the Dental Hygiene Program are reviewed annually by program faculty, with input from students, alumni, employers, and the program's advisory committee, to ensure continued alignment with the mission and strategic priorities of the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, accreditation standards, and the evolving needs of the dental hygiene profession.
Revised 7.21.2026
