Objective: The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Report suggests introducing an internship period for all newly qualified dental/oral health practitioners in Australia. This study gauged the opinions of undergraduates from three dental schools in Australia. Methods: An online survey collected demographic information on gender and…

Currently, there is need for change in the way that dental schools in the United States educate their students to keep pace with the rapidly changing nature of the profession and to better address societal needs. Despite a well-documented change agenda put forth by individual authors and agencies both within and outside of dental education,…

Current developments in dental education and practice hold tremendous potential for positive change and growth, and warrant the immediate inauguration of a planning and implementation process to exploit new opportunities rather than merely adjust existing concepts and practices. (MSE)

Describes an effort to improve the effectiveness of an instructional development program in a dental school by modifying the level of organizational readiness and individual faculty readiness for instructional innovation and change. It is a tactical example of an attempt to alter the setting in a specific educational institution. (Author/JEG)

Through a process involving identification of priorities and implementation of strategic initiatives to address them, the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry has begun a process of curriculum reform. Several stages of reevaluation and the need for sensitivity and patience are anticipated, but a better environment for learning…

Organizational factors affecting curriculum change are discussed, including resistance to change, organizational climate, leadership and organizational culture, and conditions for effective participation. Four special considerations are outlined: the ethics of curricular change, creating a culture of innovation, zero-based curricular review, and…

Steps in establishment of Indiana University School of Dentistry's quality assurance program included gathering existing information on quality assurance; ascertaining administrative support; appointing a committee; defining terms and setting goals; raising awareness and commitment; designing a patient satisfaction survey; undertaking a chart…

The application of a matrix organization to the dental school by superimposing the four dimensions of the college's mission (patient care, education, research, and faculty development) is described, the problems and advantages of the reorganization are examined, and changes facilitated by it are discussed. (MSE)

It is argued that productive change in Veterans Administration (VA) dental services will require planned change, new models of dental care and education that respond to different needs and circumstances, creative partnerships between the VA and institutions, and perhaps a new conceptualization of dental care as a medical subspecialty. (MSE)

Since 1984 the Pew National Dental Education Program has worked to bring long-term change in the U.S. system of dental education by enhancing individual dental schools' ability to understand the changing health care and higher education environments and assist them in redirecting program policies and budgets in response. (MSE)

Columbia University's dental curriculum development efforts in the mid-1980s are described, with special attention given to two curriculum movements ("scientific" and "socially sensitive") influencing the process and the diverse practical and philosophical considerations made in engineering the changes. (MSE)

This paper responds to the Institute of Medicine's 1995 report concerning the present status and future needs of dental education in the United States. It examines whether real reform is occurring at the National Institute of Dental Research, within the academic dental community, and within the practicing profession. It concludes that very little…

It is argued that while the American Dental Association promotes quality of care, there is little evidence of significant implementation of quality assurance by the organized dental community and long-standing resistance to the quality assurance movement among individual dentists. Some potential remedies are discussed. (MSE)

An extensive discussion of curriculum reform in dental education looks at the history of dental curriculum since 1926, reviewing major reports and studies and examining systematic attempts to alter the curriculum, both structurally and philosophically. The paper was prepared as background for an Institute of Medicine study of dental education's…

A survey of 48 United States dental schools investigated the degree and type of program evaluation conducted. Results indicated a range of related activities, with evaluation and remedial action occurring in a majority of schools. However, establishment of criteria for specific quality assurance activities was found lacking. (Author/MSE)