Our Mission
The Department’s mission is integrated with the missions of the College of Dentistry and The University of Iowa involving three areas:
- Education of health care students in the areas of surgical and clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
- Research investigations in the areas of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics to increase understanding of oral and paraoral disease, its recognition, its treatment, and its prevention. This Department also conducts research to improve methods for teaching subject related decision making and learning skills to students in the specific academic areas encompassed by this Department.
- Service to the college, university, state and national dental organizations and their constituents, and other health care professions.
The primary mission of the Department is to teach predoctoral dental students to be qualified general practitioners with competence in the areas of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics. These areas are becoming increasingly important in the general practice of dentistry as the population ages with a significant increase in mucosal diseases including oral cancer and individuals with systemic diseases complicating delivery of dental, oral and maxillofacial therapy. Educational programs have emphasized teaching cognitive skills in decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, and the need for life long learning.