Residents benefit from general practice dental residencies by getting training in areas not adequately covered in the undergraduate curriculum and having time to mature professionally. Patients benefit from improved care and increased access to services. Greater attention should go to the quality and types of services such programs make possible.…

The status of the current predoctoral dental program and its relationship to graduate dental education is described. Factors that have influenced the dental curriculum and major changes that have occurred are presented. Major issues facing dental education are outlined. A proposal is presented for greater flexibility in dental education.…

A study of 196 dentists' comprehension of an article in a leading dental continuing education journal revealed about four-fifths gaining knowledge, and the remainder decreasing or showing no change in knowledge. Use of scholarly articles as an efficient continuing education method is recommended. (MSE)

The predoctoral dental curriculum cannot provide the depth of experience and knowledge needed for the increasing representation of geriatric patients in family dental practices. A curriculum model designed to enhance knowledge and refine clinical skills in caring for the elderly is proposed. (MSE)

A hospital-based method for teaching general practice dental residents, involving patients for whom the residents are responsible, is described. Residents present prepared cases of dental patients according to a predetermined protocol: a talk, complete documentation of clinical history and laboratory findings, and discussion of therapy and…

Trends in health care are examined, and nonprofessional and professional graduate education are compared with graduate dental education to determine differences. Alternatives for financing the latter, and future educational and government policies that may affect funding, are analyzed. (MSE)

The results of two years of funding under the Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1976, which authorized federal grant support to general practice residency programs, is reported. Grants totalling $7.8 million were received for the purpose of enlarging enrollments, hiring faculty and support staff, and improving facilities.…

The financial strategies used by five dental schools to support postdoctoral general dentistry education include increasing patient care income by residents, increasing income by faculty and other providers, enhancing extramural patient income, using management economics and efficiency, and developing innovative ways of generating income. (MSE)

A discussion of basic working definitions and an attenuated historical review of graduate dental education, with special emphasis on the evolution of goals and objectives of graduate dental education, is presented. Factors affecting objectives include: type of program and desired end-product, discipline or specialty, and institutional setting.…

Even though research is an integral part of quality advanced dental programs, many dental departments with postdoctoral programs lack faculty and other resources for research productivity. Programs to produce clinical faculty with research training are called for through the development of clinical research centers. (JSR)

A study examined the following: the qualifications that general practice residency program directors and dental department chairpersons currently possess; what academic qualifications and experiences respondents felt to be important for individuals in these positions; and what requirements hospitals have in selecting individuals for these…

The relative value of academic standing, letters of recommendation, and personal interview impressions as predictors of performance during general dentistry training programs was assessed. Academic standing was the best predictor, with personal interview and recommendation letters next. (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)

Past, present, and future costs and funding of graduate dental education are reviewed and compared with those in predoctoral dental education. Major environmental factors affecting fiscal survival of dental schools are analyzed. Different types of program needs are taken into account. (MSE)

The history of forecasting in dentistry is explored with a focus on several major forecasting techniques, briefly examining the basic assumptions, data requirements, and strengths and weaknesses of each. Three perspectives held by forecasters are isolated: health status, social need, and economic. (Author/MLW)