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NEWS RELEASE

The Commission on Dental Accreditation has granted initial accreditation to Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine. The program located at the LMU Tower at 1705 St. Mary Street will welcome its inaugural class on September 12, 2022.

“This is another momentous day in the life of this institution,” said Dr. Clayton Hess, LMU’s president. “CODA approval allows us to open our doors to the next generation of professional students who will continue our legacy of service to humanity. Much of our service area falls in a dental desert where access to dental care has negatively impacted the health and well-being of our communities. Our goal is to recruit and train dentists to serve Appalachia and beyond.”

The mission of LMU-CDM is to develop competent oral health care providers who are committed to the premise that the cornerstone of meaningful existence is service to humanity. LMU-CDM intends to provide dental education to students through curriculum innovation and advanced technology by providing seamless, integrated, clinically based, patient-centered, and person-centered education founded in preventive health and evidence-based science.

“The award of Initial Accreditation from CODA is a significant achievement for the College of Dental Medicine’s Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry and Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene programs,” said Dr. Denise Terese-Koch, LMU-CDM Dean and Chief Academic Officer. “As the founding dean, I am proud of our university for accepting the challenge of developing the College of Dental Medicine in Appalachia to serve the mission of Lincoln Memorial University. As we educate our next generation, we take pride in being a student-centered, competency-based program that encourages students to achieve excellence in the practice of dentistry.

LMU-CDM Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry program is a full-time, continuous, 46-month program. The curriculum includes 11 consecutive semesters of didactic and clinical education.

The curriculum design is based on the American Dental Education Association’s Competencies for the New General Dentist. The curriculum is designed to provide students with the knowledge; clinical, research, critical thinking, practice management, behavioral and interpersonal skills; clinical experience; sound clinical judgment; professional and ethical behavior; and patient care training to provide comprehensive oral health care to diverse patients of all ages and conditions of physical, mental, and emotional health.

In addition to the DMD program, LMU-CDM will offer an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene program. This program has 16-week semesters for fall and spring, with the summer semesters consisting of 10 weeks.

“Dr. Denise Terese-Koch has recruited a tremendous faculty and staff to launch these programs,” Hess said. “The LMU-CDM team has developed exceptional programs of study which have met or exceeded CODA standards. LMU has invested heavily in the LMU Tower and the LMU-CDM facility. We are eager to welcome our inaugural classes for DMD and hygiene students next month.”

Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine is home to the Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (DH) programs. It is located in Knoxville at the newly renovated LMU Tower. For more information about LMU-CDM programs contact, CollegeofDentalMedicine@LMUnet.edu.