As hundreds of family members and friends looked on, new Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC students were formally welcomed into the dental profession during the 2012 White Coat Ceremony on August 27 in Bovard Auditorium .

More than 300 new students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery class of 2016, Dental Hygiene class of 2014, and the Advanced Standing Program for International Dentists class of 2014 donned their white coats for the first time after reciting “The Making of an Oral Health Professional,” the oath affirming their commitment to the highest clinical, professional, and ethical standards.

Avishai Sadan, dean of the Ostrow School of Dentistry, spoke of the white coat as a symbol of a solemn obligation to service, compassion, and learning.

“There is a well-known USC phrase that I feel is very appropriate for this, and perhaps our newest Trojans have heard it a few times already: ‘Fight On,’” Sadan said. “By putting this coat on today you commit yourself to always, in true Trojan fashion, ‘Fight On’ for your patients’ health and well being and for the integrity, honor, and ethics of your profession.”

“The Making of an Oral Health Professional”

I will dedicate my professional life to regarding each patient as a whole and complex person, promoting health to all people, identifying risk factors and serving as an advocate for disease prevention, using the very best clinical diagnostic strategies, providing the finest clinical treatments and therapeutics, and continuing to learn, revise, and enrich my knowledge throughout my career.

I dedicate my life to the health of those whose lives I directly or indirectly touch: my family and friends, the broader community, my individual patients, and their families.

I extend to the learned faculty, staff, and fellow students my full respect and gratitude which is their due.

I will always practice my profession with the highest integrity, thoughtful judgment, and skills derived from scientific evidence.

I will always conduct myself with conscience, compassion, and dignity, with the health and well being of my patients and community as the first consideration.

I promise to respect the privacy of my patients.

I will maintain by all means in my power the noble traditions of the dental profession.

I will honor my fellow students as professional colleagues and function in such a fashion as to earn their trust and respect, and together we will nurture our shared humanity.

I will always provide oral health care without consideration of religion, nationality, race or ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, disabilities, political choices, or social and economic standing.

I will always maintain the highest respect for human life.

I make these promises without hesitation, freely, and upon my honor.