HA-002-R - Bridging Pathways to Empower Future Advocates: Advancing Dental Education

Advocacy is an essential skill for enabling oral health professionals to champion their patients, communities and the profession. While the American Dental Association and American Dental Hygienists’ Association Codes of Ethics underscore advocacy’s importance, the lack of Commission on Dental Accreditation standards addressing this area means the topic is not universally required in dental curricula. This session will introduce two examples from dental schools on how they successfully integrated policy and advocacy training into dental education programs. Attendees will leave with practical tools to implement similar initiatives at their institutions, helping prepare future oral health professionals to lead with purpose and impact.