An annual survey of graduating seniors by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) obtained data about their financing of dental education, graduating indebtedness, practice and postdoctoral education plans following graduation, and impressions of the adequacy of time directed to various areas of predoctoral instruction. Also related…

Surveyed directors of programs in postgraduate education in general dentistry (PGD) about critical issues facing their programs. Identified 12 themes: lack of postdoctoral applicants; student quality; professionalism and attitudes; number of postdoctoral positions; lack of funding; quality of facilities; special patient care; program curriculum;…

Asserts that an education colored by research in one way of achieving the intellectual rigor necessary for the dentistry professional. Suggests that the key is cultivating in students a taste for complexity, for problems, and for problem solving. Students would therefore become people of science able to acquire and assimilate new knowledge and…

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)

Reports American Dental Education Association (ADEA) activities from the end of the 2000 through the 2001 Annual Session and Exposition. This official record serves as a reference for members and others interested in dental and allied education. Contains reports from the president, president-elect, and executive director; proceedings of the 2000…

Examines gender differences in professional school students' ethical sensitivity and moral reasoning. Results indicate that male and female dental students differ in general sensitivity to ethical issues, but not in recognition of issues of care or in moral reasoning. Suggests new directions for research in moral development. (Author/DH)

Evaluated the effectiveness of an educational game, "The Prosthodontic Olympics," to improve the speed of dental students in their performance of selected laboratory procedures. The students race to complete a procedure which is then judged for quality. Evaluation indicated participants increased their speed by as much as 50 percent without…

A group of dental students participated in a stress management program that included instruction in self-relaxation and time management, exercise and leisure planning, and cognitive modification techniques. The importance of stress-management training for dental students and suggestions for future research are discussed. (MLW)

To teach the modern concepts of cavity preparation, it is desirable to have a supply of natural teeth exhibiting suitable carious lesions. This paper describes a simple method for producing consistent artificial lesions in extracted natural teeth. (MLW)

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)

Dental students at one school were placed in two groups and surveyed about their attitudes toward the testing program and themselves as operative dentists. The students in the experimental group participated in a self-assessment with computer-generated feedback. Results of both groups are compared. (Author/MLW)

A study confirmed the dual hypotheses that the more empathic behavior a dental student showed, the greater the cooperation of children patients, and the more often the patients' verbal behavior is dentist-directed rather than self-directed. It is suggested that training in more socially sensitive behavior would enhance patient care. (MSE)

The effectiveness of practical examinations in assessing the clinical competence of dental students is discussed. A grading system that derives a significant portion of the senior student's grade from this type of examination is described. The impact of practical clinical examinations on two consecutive graduating classes was analyzed. (Author/MLW)

Compiled from many of the surveys that the American Dental Education Association routinely publishes, along with data from surveys conducted by the American Dental Association and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, presents statistical tables and descriptive text on trends among dental patients, among dental practitioners, and in dental…

Marquette University's experience with two extramural clinics are described. Students spend six weeks at these sites, primarily to involve them in assessing and caring for the dental health needs of patients whose ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds are different from the populations at a clinic on campus. (MLW)