1st Utah DMD program gains CODA accreditation

The Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine has been granted initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) for its doctor of dental medicine (DMD) program in Utah.

"The College of Dental Medicine's administrative team and faculty have worked extremely hard to complete the accreditation process prior to the enrollment of the inaugural DMD class this fall," stated Tom Metzger, co-chancellor of Roseman University, South Jordan, in a press release. "Receiving initial accreditation is an important step in validating the quality of the program."

Once a program is granted initial accreditation status, CODA will conduct another site visit in the second year of the program and a third site visit prior to the first class of students graduating from the four-year program. CODA will then conduct follow-up site reviews every seven years.

The inaugural DMD class of 64 students will be on campus for orientation next week. Classes begin August 15.

Roseman University -- formerly the University of Southern Nevada -- began construction on the new dental school in April 2010. The 125,000-sq-ft, five-story classroom, office, lab, and clinical building in South Jordan will serve as the state's first dental school. The school will be headed by Richard Buchanan, DMD, dean emeritus at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.