Abstract
The Dental Clinical Humanities Certificate Program was implemented 10 years ago at the UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry to expose dental students to dental humanities content and engage them in educational experiences exploring oral health care through humanities lenses, providing insight into the human condition and patient-centered approaches. With more than 30 students having graduated from the program, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the exit surveys previously distributed at the end of each academic year. The exit survey focused on their general program feedback, including the effects of dental humanities as an academic enterprise, cultivating their self-knowledge and serving as a pedagogical tool for creating compassionate caregivers, as well as on open-ended responses about their reasons for program enrollment, memorable experiences, and learning. Results from survey analyses revealed positive experiences and perceptions, supporting the need to integrate the humanities into dental education. Finally, the authors reflect on future considerations about and modifications to the program and the dental humanities as a field.
Recommended Citation
Gomez, Angela P. EdD, MBA, MS; Franklin, Deborah R. DDS, LPC, CTTS; Carlin, Nathan PhD; and Robertson-Preidler, Joelle PhD, HEC-C
(2026)
"A Dental Clinical Humanities Program at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry: The First Ten Years and Future Directions,"
Journal of the American College of Dentists: Vol. 92:
No.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://commons.ada.org/jacd/vol92/iss2/3