Surveyed deans of U.S. dental schools on academic integrity. Found the average school deals with one or two incidents a year, the most common being copying or aiding during written exams, and the second most common involving falsifications of patient records. Respondents said major reasons for failing to report incidents were fear of time and…

Surveyed dental educators responsible for academic integrity about their school's methods of ethics instruction. Findings indicated that there is a continuing emphasis on dental ethics instruction, with 91 percent of respondents reporting the offering of at least one ethics course and an increased percentage of faculty trained in ethics or…

Ramifications of cheating include underqualified graduates and the probable continuation of unethical behavior into dental practice. Dental educators are encouraged to stress pride in professionalism, to reinforce positive student behaviors, and to administer swift punishment to violators. (DB)

A survey of dental schools in 1980 showed that 13 of the 55 responding schools provided no formal instruction in ethics. The status of instruction in dental ethics in 1986 is discussed. Survey data showed that schools providing ethics instruction often confused law, jurisprudence, and avoidance of malpractice with ethics. (MLW)

An alternative to traditional solutions to academic cheating is proposed which provides a systematic institutional strategy stressing academic and professional integrity, encourages students to actively ensure academic integrity, and administers swift and fair punishment to violators. Implications are drawn for dental education and development of…