In an annual tradition established by the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB), another student cohort of the university’s College of Dentistry (CoD) marched in the academic procession, under the proud gaze of their parents, donned their white laboratory coats for the first time, received their certificates, and took the profession’s oath of honor before AUIB President, Dr. Bradley Cook, CoD Dean, Dr. Nada Naaman, CoD faculty, the President of the Baghdad Chapter of the Iraqi Dental Association, Dr. Mohammad Al-Jalabi, Dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Baghdad, Dr. Ali Al-Bustani, and representatives of various academic and professional institutions in the field of dentistry in Iraq.
The occasion represented a milestone for the students, “demarcating” their transition from learning theory to clinical practice, said President Cook in his speech, highlighting that the White Coat symbolizes the responsibility towards patients and the trust that the former have towards those who wear it. He affirmed that technical skills alone do not make a good dentist, but essentially the integrity and compassion with which practitioners carry out their profession.
Dr. Al-Jalabi addressed the celebrated students on the “day of pride, gratitude, and new beginnings” for future dentists. “Patients will probably not remember the names of dental procedures you perform, but they will remember whether they were listened to and made to feel safe,” he said, urging the students to forever “be curious, honest, hard-working, and respectful of your patients and colleagues, and never to stop learning,” as new discoveries and technologies will continue to change the practice of dentistry.
