WHAT’S NEW AT OHIO STATE’S COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY? AN INTERVIEW WITH DEAN CARROLL ANN TROTMAN
The DDS Class of 2027.
The Dental Hygiene Class of 2025
Dean Trotman talks with the ODA Today about new initiatives and the college’s forward momentum as a leader among public dental schools in the U.S.
Q: Dean Trotman, what would you like to share about your experiences since you joined the college in August 2021?
A: I’m as excited now as I was on the first day I arrived! The college is one of the largest public dental schools in the nation and we have a lot to be proud of – starting with our outstanding students, staff and faculty. Working together, we’ve accomplished a lot in the last couple of years. One of the most important things we’ve done – and continue to do – is educate and train highly-qualified dental professionals. About 60% of Ohio’s dentists are alums of our college, and we keep that in mind each year as we welcome new students who are aspiring dental professionals.
Q: Let’s talk about the new students you just mentioned. Can you give us a snapshot of the freshman classes?
A: Absolutely. The DDS Class of 2027 and the Dental Hygiene Class of 2025 joined us last autumn and both are excellent. The dental class has 120 students each year, and there are 69 women and 51 men in this class. For the last three years, we’ve had more women than men in each freshman dental class. This is a trend in dental schools across the U.S.
We have diverse dental and dental hygiene classes that include first-generation students, as well as students from federally designated “health professional shortage areas” where there aren’t enough medical and dental professionals to serve the population. It’s a good thing that these students are getting an education in our college. It will prepare them to return to their hometowns and provide much-needed dental care.
In the freshmen dental class, the average student age is around 22. And most of the students are from Ohio – 104 out of 120 in this class. They also continue to be “the best of the best.” We received more than 1,500 applications and selected just 120.
Likewise, our newest dental hygiene students – the Class of 2025 – are outstanding. The class size this year is 35, and 32 of those students are Ohioans. Their average age is 22.
In previous years, our dental hygiene classes were all-female, but we’re seeing more men in each freshman class. This year, there are 32 females and three males. Yet another trend.
Q: As the “next generation” of dental professionals, what is it about the college that excites these students?
Intraoral Room, Imaging Clinic
A: They’re enthusiastic about so many things, but especially the Postle Hall Expansion and the cutting-edge technology that’s available to them.
We opened the Expansion, or Postle B as we call it, shortly after I arrived in 2021. It’s a state-of-the-art facility with 136,000 square feet of space that includes an innovative student group practice clinic that allows dental and dental hygiene students to function in a real-world clinical setting. There’s also a new central sterilization facility with the most contemporary equipment. And we have a surgery center to treat special needs patients whose dental care must be provided under sedation.
Recently, we held the “grand opening” of our new oral and maxillofacial imaging clinic on the ground floor of Postle B. This is where our patients get the highest quality radiographic images, and our students learn the most contemporary technologies. The clinic is 3,200 square feet and houses 10 intraoral rooms; three extraoral rooms with CBCTs; a seminar room; and a room dedicated to viewing images. The students are very excited about this clinic because it gives them the best of the best.
CBCT Room, Imagining Clinic
We’ve also added digital dentistry to the students’ curriculum. We have high-speed 3D printers for dental appliances and castings, intraoral scanners and milling machines. These enhancements support the students’ education, and they allow us to provide the best care for patients who come to us locally and from 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties. We know that every step forward on our part has a big impact on the lives and experiences of those we serve.
Q: Along with those student-centered innovations, what are some other points of pride?
A: We have a very special initiative, the Alumni-Student Mentoring Program that enhances our students’ experiences. We launched it last year, and it’s the college’s first-ever mentoring program for dental and dental hygiene students.
Each student is matched with an alumni mentor who knows about the college, its programs and the job market. The mentors provide knowledge and support as they help students set and accomplish professional goals. They also give advice, enhance professional connections and share their practical experiences and clinical expertise.
Currently, there are 120 mentors. And we have 145 students in the program, including D2s, D3s, D4s and dental hygiene juniors and seniors. The program has proven to be a positive experience for the students and the alums who are supporting the next generation of dental professionals.
Q: An ongoing discussion these days is the wave of dental professionals who retired during and after the pandemic. Has this impacted the college?
A: Yes, the COVID pandemic led to staff and faculty retirements in the college. It’s important to know that the competition for dental faculty is keen at dental schools across the nation. So the pandemic-related retirements just added to the efforts that were already in place to recruit new faculty and dental staff. We’ve made this a priority and the hard work has paid off.
Since I joined the college, we’ve hired 51 new faculty: 24 full-time and 27 part-time. That’s a pretty good success rate. We’ve also hired 111 staff members – 104 full-time and seven part-time. This is a continuous, multi-faceted endeavor, but it’s worth every effort to recruit the best faculty and staff.
Q: It’s clear that the college is engaged in a lot of impactful initiatives. Are there any other projects you want to call out?
A: There are many more projects to talk about, but I’d like to mention one in particular. It’s about the Health Outreach Mobile Experience, also known as the HOME Coach. This is our pediatric mobile dental clinic that travels to schools in Columbus and surrounding communities, providing dental care and oral health education for children in underserved areas.
More than 140,000 dental procedures have been provided since the program was launched, and the Coach provides care for over 1,800 children each year. This initiative has a great impact on our efforts to bridge the gap in access to dental care that we see in communities in Franklin County. Now, we’re looking to expand the HOME Coach operation by adding more coaches to provide services to children and adults throughout the state. This is an ambitious project, but it will meet a great need.
I’ll close with this thought. Our entire college is committed to meeting needs and providing services, specifically for the students who want to become dental professionals and the patients who come to us for oral health and healing. We’re also committed to setting a standard of excellence for dental schools across the country. We have great forward momentum. As dean of the College of Dentistry at THE Ohio State University, I’m proud to be part of it all!
