Established in 1965, the University of Saskatchewan, College of Dentistry was the first institution in the province of Saskatchewan to offer a fully accredited dental program. The college is the only school at the university that offers direct patient care through the Student Dental Clinic, accommodating over 10,000 visits every year. The college is located in the vibrant river city of Saskatoon on Treaty Six territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis. Enveloped by the new Health Sciences E wing, the modest College of Dentistry building retains its original design sensibilities. Although one of the smaller colleges on campus, the college possesses a strong tradition of excellence with bonds and allegiance to the university, city and province. The college embraces diversity in all forms and is dedicated to providing an environment where students, faculty and staff are fully supported so that they are able to realize their full potential during their time at the college. The college strives to serve as a leader in innovative scholarly pursuits, research, interdisciplinary collaboration, community outreach and engagement.

The college has small class sizes compared to its contemporaries across Canada. This allows students to receive more targeted interactions with professors and patients; gaining greater exposure to all dental disciplines. Graduates naturally transition into professional practice as a result of this enriched clinical experience. The unique class setting nurtures close knit relationships between classmates and establishes the sense of community that exists within the dental profession. A strong tie to the college is created that benefits both students and the college.

The college continues to focus its efforts on bolstering its research presence which is evidenced by the recent appointment of the first ever Associate Dean, Research. This will provide a conduit to other research units on campus that will assist the college in developing robust relationships and platforms for collaborative, inter-professional research and education.

Woven into the fabric of the college is its commitment to community outreach and engagement to provide dental care to neighborhoods and marginalized groups of Saskatoon. The college has various initiatives to meet these needs, including: the Saskatoon West Dental clinic, the Syrian Refugee Initiative and the Pediatric Outreach program.

The college is committed to supporting Aboriginal students and their communities. The university is a leader in Aboriginal health programs, education, and services, with a multitude of opportunities to educate on Aboriginal health, culture, and community. By virtue of its clinical training program, the college provides more direct clinical care to Aboriginal patients than any other Health Science college. The college is committed to recruiting applicants that reflect the cultural diversity of Saskatchewan’s population and is dedicated to increasing the success of Aboriginal applicants who wish to obtain a dental education. To support this, the college has allocated 11-14% of available seats in the admission of students of Aboriginal descent.

• To teach undergraduate dental students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become technically competent, socially sensitive, ethical dentists.
• To advance knowledge through research, scholarly activity and publications, and by interacting with related learned and professional organizations.
• To maintain an admissions policy which will enable the College to select the best possible candidates for dental education while being accessible on an equitable basis to qualified Saskatchewan residents and, where possible, to others.
• To continually evaluate and develop the curriculum and implement changes to ensure that it is responsive to the current and future needs for the provision of oral health care to the people of Saskatchewan and beyond.
• To investigate the epidemiology of oral disease and serve as a resource for knowledge and expertise concerning the prevention and treatment of oral diseases for the profession and the community.
• To develop and contribute to out-reach programs with allied dental health care providers locally, nationally and internationally.
• To provide post-graduate and graduate education through advanced degree programs.
• To practice scholarship in the application of knowledge so we can serve society through our creativity and expertise.
• To obtain appropriate human, financial, informational and physical resources and to manage these resources in a fair, efficient and accountable manner.
• To advance employment and education equity through our policies and practices, and in particular, to address the needs of aboriginal people, persons with disabilities and visible minorities.