The use of simple diagrams for instruction of first-year operative dental students is encouraged. A series of illustrations for Class I preparation of cavities, focusing on walls, line angles and point angles, is presented and its use described. (MSE)

The acute deficiency in the number of clinical dental faculty who are trained to do high-quality research is discussed. There is a paucity of role models for research in dental schools. Students at dental schools have no opportunity to gain first hand knowledge of how dentist-scientists function. (MLW)

A survey of the tenure status of clinical dental faculty, faculty turnover rates, sources of new faculty, and future projections are discussed. Projections indicate a lower turnover rate, increased tenure denial, more stringent application of criteria, and the development of dual tracks for clinical dental faculty. (MLW)

Teaching physical evaluation of dental patients has become an important aspect in an undergraduate dental curriculum. The evolution, objectives, and content of a practical, in-house method of teaching clinical physical evaluation using a seminar-participation format is presented. (Author/MLW)

More can be done to incorporate basic biological science into clinical dental teaching, including increased early basic science instruction by clinical faculty, establishment of departments of oral biology, the grand rounds format, case presentation in clinical settings, and continuing education involving practicing dentists and dental students.…

A long-term follow-up study of an experimental method evaluated the lasting effects of that method using preclinical and clinical grades, as well as an assessment of dental students' clinical technical performance. (Author/MLW)

The Loma Linda University School of Dentistry's "study club" method of teaching operative dentistry involves a four-hour clinical operating session and an hour-long discussion immediately following. Videotape recordings of the operative procedures are used successfully in the discussion period to enhance observation and recall. (MSE)

Students and faculty were polled for their reactions to a new format for grouping third- and fourth-year dental students and full- and part-time faculty for more efficient clinical instruction. Both groups felt positively about the change. More study of student-faculty relationships and of dental care level effects is recommended. (MSE)

A method developed at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine for teaching modification of cavity design to large numbers of preclinical students in operative dentistry is reported. It standardizes the learning process for this complex problem-solving skill. (MLW)

A study compared dental student performance in clinical endodontics under two instructional approaches, one in which number of procedures completed by students (n=79) was measured and one (n=84 students) emphasizing total patient care and stricter accounting of clinical treatment time. Results indicated the latter group treated fewer teeth but…

The relationship between clinical teaching and research in the basic sciences is discussed. The same energy expended to enhance clinical research will also efficiently build new curricula; ease the strains associated with assigning a priority to teaching or research; and serve to further science, teaching, and technology transfer. (MLW)

A study measured the influence of treating disabled persons during the practical training period on the dental hygiene student's attitude toward the disabled, and studied whether attitude and self-confidence are related to certain student characteristics. (MSE)

Results of an analysis of changes in dental clinic patient needs and characteristics in the period of 1978-82 are presented, and their implications for the availability of experiences for the clinical training of dental students in specific areas are discussed. (MSE)

A discussion of changeable economic issues that can affect dental general practice residency program planning includes costs and resource allocation, maximizing efficiency and productivity, ambulatory and inpatient revenue sources, management functions, faculty as practitioners, faculty appointments, and marketing. (MSE)

Career advancement in academic dentistry appears to demand success in teaching, scholarship, and service, but foremost in research or scholarship. As a result, many dental faculty believe they are forced to choose between providing excellent professional preparation for their students or ensuring their academic careers. (MLW)