28 August 2025

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Ideals of dentistry as a profession highlighted during annual White Coat Ceremony for new first-year class at School of Dentistry

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Excellence, empathy, integrity, leadership and the rewards of helping others were some of the themes presented July 25 when the University of Michigan School of Dentistry held its annual White Coat Ceremony for its new first-year class of dental students.

The annual ceremony is held about five weeks after the new entering class, referred to as D1s, arrived at the school to start their four-year education to earn their Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. The 109 members of the DDS Class of 2029 were joined at the ceremony by 20 internationally trained dentists who started their shorter, 2.5-year course of study earlier in the year, with their graduation set for 2027.

The White Coat Ceremony, held at Hill Auditorium, signifies the students’ commitment to pursue and uphold the highest standards of care and ethics of the profession, emphasized in the Oath of Aspiring Dentists that they recite in unison as part of the program. Each student crosses the stage and is helped into a white clinic coat that carries their name and the Block M that represents the U-M dental school’s 150-year history of leading dental education. Several hundred family members and friends from around the country and several international locations attended the event.

Admitted from 1,908 applicants, the 109 new students in the Class of 2029 are mostly from Michigan, with 62 in-state students and 47 from elsewhere across the country, including California, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Florida, among others. Following a national trend in recent years in the ratio of men and women applying to dental schools, this new DDS class has the highest number of women of any class in school history, with 71 women and 38 men. Both the actual number and the percentage of women – 65 percent – are the highest ever.

Speakers provided the newly-arrived students a bit of history about the school and the profession, as well as advice on moving forward and navigating their DDS journey over the next few years.

Dean Jacques Nör noted the new students are starting in the year the School of Dentistry is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1875. Nör noted that students in the early days of the school didn’t have the modern conveniences and advanced technology in use today, including electricity, high-speed handpieces, x-rays, Cone Beam Computed Tomography, and CAD-CAM digital technology. “Over the last century and a half, dentistry has come a long way,” Nör said. “It is not an exaggeration to say that the faculty, students and staff from our school have led the way in advancing the profession of dentistry from the very start. Many of the major advances in dentistry were led by our faculty. … This tradition of excellence is what you embrace when you put on your white coat in today’s ceremony.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Cheri Newman, president of the Michigan Dental Association, welcomed the students to the profession and urged them to take advantage of MDA resources. “Today when you put on that white coat, you are not just putting on a symbol of professionalism and responsibility, but you are stepping into a career of service to your community. Yes, you will be ‘fixing teeth’ but even more importantly, you will be restoring confidence, preventing disease and giving people hope. You will be both a healer and an advocate. A scientist and a friend. A skilled clinician and a trusted confidante. You will change lives. And there is nothing more rewarding. … Dentistry is not just a career. It’s a calling. Today, with the placing of this coat on your shoulders, you accept that calling  Each of you has the intelligence, compassion and integrity to be successful.”

Javier Bonamego, president of the fourth-year class, told the Class of 2029 that their learning, growth and journey at the dental school will be “the longest, yet shortest and most rewarding four years of your life.” He provided five pieces of advice that he has found helpful during dental school: “1. Be thankful, all the time. 2. Adapt and become comfortable living in the uncomfortable. You will not become the best version of yourself without change. 3. Be intentional in everything you do. From the way you treat others, to your studies, have a purpose for everything. 4. Always ask ‘Why?’ Why does this work the way it does? Why is this done the way it is? It will lead you to a lifetime of growth, learning and understanding. 5. Change your mindset from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to.’ Also known as: enjoy the process.”  He added: “When times get tough during school, please remember that you deserve to be here, you earned it, and you will make an impact on thousands of lives throughout your career. The fourth-year students, staff, faculty, and dental community are here to help you succeed.”

Reed Cecil enthusiastically slips into his coat with the help of James Bennett III, vice president of the senior class.

Dr. Jessica Brisbois, president of the Michigan Academy of General Dentistry, and Dr. Steven Sulfaro, Vice Regent for the Ninth District of the International College of Dentists, each congratulated the new class members and urged them to become active in their professional organizations and others.

Dr. Sandra Stuhr, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, represented the faculty in closing the program. She emphasized that the white coat is less about those wearing it – students who eventually become dentists – and more about the professionalism it represents while treating patients and interacting with colleagues. “Let it remind you that every interaction is an opportunity to leave someone better than you found them,” she said. “Let it inspire you to be the healthcare provider you’d want for your own family. Let it challenge you to see beyond the mouth you’re treating to the whole person who trusts you with their care.”  She urged students to hold onto “this compulsion to bring comfort instead of anxiety, connection instead of distance, humility instead of hierarchy.” If they do, she said, they will discover something remarkable: “You’ll discover that the white coat was never about making you different from everyone else. It was about helping you become the best version of yourself, in service of others. Wear it well. Wear it with purpose. Never forget that the most important thing you'll ever bring to your practice isn’t in your hands, but is in your heart.”

Source: https://dent.umich.edu/