White Coat Ceremony honors first-year DDS, Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene learners

The School of Dentistry welcomed its 134 new clinical learners into the profession at the White Coat Ceremony on Friday, September 6.

First celebrated in 1993 in New York, the White Coat Ceremony marks the moment in which each clinical learner is bestowed with their first white coat, recognizing the professionalism and patient-centered care expected of the wearer.

Members of the DDS Class of 2028, Dental Therapy Class of 2027 and Dental Hygiene Class of 2026 participated in the ceremony.

“The white coat is a standard of professionalism and caring, and an emblem of the trust that is granted to healthcare professionals by the patients we care for. It must be earned and maintained by our actions,” reflected Dean Keith Mays, DDS, MS, PhD, in his welcoming remarks. “The White Coat Ceremony is a time-honored tradition of inducting students into the oral health professions. When you wear the white coat, you are demonstrating that you are a healthcare professional who cares for all people, especially those in need, and that you seek to make them whole through the application of science, caring and clinical skill.”

Before receiving their white coats, each class recited their individual codes of ethics, developed during orientation as a class as a shared commitment to one another and to the community. Each learner had the opportunity to sign this code as they crossed the stage with their coat.

Learners joined faculty onstage to receive and don their white coats, which included notes of encouragement from alumni dentists in the coat pockets.

After each class received their coats, they recited the Oath for New Dentists, the Minnesota Oath for Dental Therapists and the Oath of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, respectively. These oaths guide the practice of clinicians and reaffirm their responsibility to their patients.

Attendees heard a keynote reflection from Andy Aldrich, DDS ’20. Aldrich is a general dentist and an adjunct assistant clinical professor in the Division of Operative Dentistry. He has served as a board member of the Minnesota Dental Foundation and is an active member of the School of Dentistry Alumni Society. Aldrich has a passion for giving back, which he does by volunteering at a nonprofit dental clinic and mentoring pre-dental and dental students.

Aldrich focused on the awesome responsibility of oral health care. “Patients put a lot of trust in us, in a way that isn’t necessarily afforded to others they interact with on any given day,” he explained. “To heal, especially in a way that patients cannot do for themselves, is a privilege.”

He shared advice he has received—or learned first-hand—covering three themes: be kind to yourself, focus on relationships and act with integrity.

“Each person here at the school represents a piece of a puzzle, which in the end helps you become a more compassionate, competent and ethically-minded clinician,” he expressed, encouraging learners to lean on and learn from one another. “In your future career, you will likely never be surrounded by this many perspectives.”

Aldrich ended with a hopeful and encouraging note. “Congratulations, my fellow dental professionals, on making it to this point,” he said.

“We are excited to witness what you discover, to feel the positive impact you will make here and to soon call you colleagues. And if there is even the tiniest bit of imposter syndrome, hiding somewhere in the back of your mind, let’s squash it together right now. You belong here—welcome to your profession.”

Congratulations to the DDS Class of 2028, Dental Therapy Class of 2027 and Dental Hygiene Class of 2026 on the achievement of this important milestone!

The White Coat Ceremony and the bestowing of white coats is supported by generous donations from Freeman Rosenblum, DDS ’61, and Shirley Rosenblum, BS ’61, MS ’85 and the American College of Dentists.