On Earth Day 2024, the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine launched its Climate and Sustainability Pledge, a voluntary commitment by the school of dental medicine, its faculty, and students to safeguard the Earth’s systems through meaningful action for climate resilience and emissions reduction.

Climate change is identified as one of the nine planetary health boundaries and is increasing its negative impacts on society, including on health systems and the health of individuals. Health and oral health gains will need to be considered in relation to their full cost to the Earth’s natural systems and not only related to the degradation of the environment (from hazardous chemicals), supply chain activities (material sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution) and ineffective waste management and disposal.

Penn Dental Medicine seeks to promote resilient and sustainable oral health for its patients and the communities it serves through partnerships that deliver services and provide care that meet the needs of today’s populations without compromising the ability of Penn Dental Medicine to meet the needs of future generations. PDM education, research and practice generates knowledge to support solutions that enable people to maintain their oral health in daily life and in the face of adversity, trauma, threat or significant sources of stress throughout their lifespan.

Specifically, the pledge reinforces commitment to:

  1. Continuous improvement in the efficiency of PDM operations as well as offering our visitors opportunities to be good environmental partners,
  2. Designate an executive-level lead for their work on reduction, where possible, in the environmental impact of certain restorative materials and single-use plastics in dentistry by appropriate replacement materials
  3. Develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of 2025, anticipating the needs of groups in their community that experience disproportionate risk of climate-related harm.
  4. Adopting environmentally friendly, less invasive dentistry that contributes significantly to developing climate-resilient and low-carbon oral health systems.