Attracting and retaining strong faculty members in dental schools have long been challenges in the United States. Faced with an emerging crisis in the availability and quality of dental educators, many researchers have focused on analyzing data and trends related to this subject. Even though there are substantial studies that provide a picture of…

Health professions students have limited exposure to each other during their education and training, yet there are many expectations for their interaction in the workplace as part of functioning health-care teams. Interprofessional education is a mechanism to facilitate teamwork and relationships between health-care professionals by encouraging…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing interprofessional education to students from six health professional programs through use of an online social networking platform. Specifically, three pedagogical models (Minimally Structured, Facilitated, Highly Structured) were evaluated for impact on…

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…

This report presents the analytical results of a survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools conducted during 1997 by the American Association of Dental Schools. It documents how women's health and oral health issues are addressed in the curriculum. It also presents an annotated bibliography of research involving oral and craniofacial health and…

Two surveys about the teaching of orofacial pain in the dental curriculum are reported, and the comprehensive course taught at the University of Kentucky is described. The first survey was of 89 Kentucky course alumni. The second was of 57 dental schools concerning the status of their orofacial pain curricula. (MSE)

Few predoctoral dental students received clinical experience with handicapped patients, and in recent years, dental educators have indicated that a shortage of patients exists. A study examined the extent to which dental schools have incorporated handicapped and medically compromised patients into their predoctoral comprehensive care program. (MLW)

A survey of the 60 American dental schools was conducted to determine the extent of existing and planned programs in geriatric dentistry. All respondents indicated that they either conduct a gerontology program or plan to conduct one in the future; various educational approaches were reported. (MLW)

A survey of dental schools that revealed processing quality control and routine maintenance checks on x-ray generators are being carried out in a timely manner is discussed. However, methods for reducing patient exposure to radiation are not being fully implemented, and some dental students are being exposed to x-rays. (Author/MLW)

Practicing dentists were surveyed concerning their information needs and stresses in serving terminally ill patients, and dental schools were surveyed concerning current and projected curricula in death education. The results of the study and their implications are discussed. (MSE)

A survey of 48 United States and 9 Canadian undergraduate dental school clinics investigated the extent of routine use of screening blood tests for patients, test types used, and plans to increase or decrease screening test use. Six responded that they routinely test asymptomatic patients, with 2-20 tests used per patient. (MSE)

Gathered information about the shortage of dental school faculty through a survey of dental school deans. Respondents identified retirement and entry into private practice as the leading reasons for leaving faculty positions, and indicated that offering a salary competitive with private practice was the most critical factor in recruiting future…

A survey of 79 experts in dental nutrition sought consensus on the appropriate scope of nutrition in clinical dentistry. Results support the need for greater attention to nutrition issues in dental schools and better models for nutrition interventions in dental practice. (Author/MSE)

A survey of full- and part-time faculty (n=510) in 10 Canadian dental schools found perceived faculty development needs related to individual characteristics such as employment status, clinical teaching functions, administrative duties, educational background, and sex. Programs should be revitalized and tailored to address perceived needs. (MSE)

A survey of U.S. dental schools (N=52) evaluated the current status of marketing topics within the predoctoral dental curriculum. Findings indicate that marketing has been incorporated into most dental schools' curricula, and most schools follow guidelines of the American Association of dental schools regarding content. (MLW)