California Northstate University presents new dental curriculum, clinic design to Dental Board of California
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Summary
California Northstate University updated the Dental Board of California on its College of Dental Medicine accreditation status, an integrated biomedical curriculum and clinical facility design; the presentation was informational and no board action was requested.
California Northstate University (CNSU) representatives described the university's College of Dental Medicine accreditation status, an integrated biomedical curriculum and a clinic designed to limit aerosol transmission during a presentation to the Dental Board of California on Feb. 7.
The presentation matters because the board will review accreditation documentation later this year and because CNSU's new dental program will produce clinicians who will join California's dental workforce if full approval follows accreditation milestones.
Dr. Kevin Keating, the university's representative, told the board the university received initial Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) recognition in 2021, accepted its first cohort in 2023 and expects a CODA decision after an April 2025 site visit and a likely action by the CODA commission in August 2025. Keating said that, if CODA issues a favorable accreditation decision, CNSU plans to submit the commission's letter to the Dental Board for review and any required authorization to operate further in California.
Keating also described the school's integrated biomedical curriculum, which ties medical content (for example, diabetes management and cardiovascular physiology) directly to clinical dental decision-making from the first day of study. "From day 1...they get it all tied into this integrated curriculum," Keating said, explaining that cohorts attend weekly grand rounds and that third- and fourth-year students lead small-group case discussions.
On facilities, Keating showed schematics of CNSU's Sacramento campus, a renovated 140,000-square-foot former state property, and described a clinic layout of treatment pods with individual operatories designed to reduce cross-aerosol transmission. He said the design originally included negative-pressure treatment rooms but that the school deferred active negative-pressure construction to reduce up-front costs while retaining the capacity to add such systems later.
Board members asked about clinical experience, community rotations and faculty. Keating said the program offers community rotations (eight weeks for fourth-year students) and volunteer clinics in partnership with Adventist Health. He reported a headcount of 68 faculty and a full-time equivalent (FTE) of about 35. On enrollment, Keating stated the program had launched cohorts and referred to current enrollment during the presentation.
The board did not take any action; the item was informational. Keating thanked the board and the item concluded with the board asking him to submit written follow-up on procedural steps for the board's later consideration.
Keating's presentation linked accreditation milestones to future board review: the board requested that CNSU submit documentation when CODA issues its August 2025 decision.