Welcome to the Unversity of Michigan School of Dentistry Community Outreach Program.  Structured along academic service-learning principles, the program strives to encourage superior professional development by immersing students in a faculty-supervised real-world clinical setting.  In addition to well-rounded skill development, the program ensures that students are exposed to varied patient sensibilities, the effect of socio-economic community issues, and the operational structure of a modern health care organization.

University of Michigan School of Dentistry's  mission to produce highly qualified professionals dedicated to improving the oral and general health of the communities they serve presents a challenge to academic orthodoxy.  It demands the creation of opportuniites for students to apply their classroom learning in a supervised field environment to narrow the traditional gap between the curriculum and the community.

Nearly thirty years ago, University of Michigan School of Dentistry pioneered the Migrant Worker Dentistry Program designed to expose select students to the real-world oral health needs of a traditionally underserved population.  With that program as a model, the Community Outreach program has expanded to all fourth-year students.  Our students have become essential contributors on a constant basis to seven community health care provider partners throughout Michigan.

The objective result is a robust clinical experience for students, improved oral health for thousands of underserved individuals, and better general community health.  But just as importantly, the Community Outreach Program functions as a compass for many University of Michigan School of Dentistry students.  Most go into the program eager to contribute their skills; few leave without a greater passion to practice their chosen profession.