A triple-contract model of the relationship between a profession and a society includes a hypothetical contract articulating the profession's basic principles, a second contract suggesting the model for real-life face-to-face meetings creating moral terms limiting the relationship between professionals and society, and a third contract containing…

Appellate courts in Georgia and New York have ruled on exculpatory clauses incorporated into dental school clinic agreements with patients. The decisions represent a radical departure from the traditional view that the clinic is a training ground where patients are living models for practicing health provider skills. (MSE)

Two models of moral responsibility in dentistry--the beneficence model (to know what is in the best interest of those served) and the autonomy model (the patient has values and beliefs underlying his/her perspective on his/her own best interests)--are outlined, and a framework for resolving conflict between the two is presented. (MSE)

Faculty members at the University of Iowa noticed that freshmen dental students seemed to lack, or temporarily forget, some commonly accepted social skills in making proper introductions during the stress of their first patient contact. A videotape was developed to reinforce rules of etiquette for introductions in a professional setting. (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)

A minicourse concerning patient management skills at the University of Washington School of Dentistry is described. A method to evaluate students' application of the social learning theory presented in the minicourse is reported. Students were trained in 12 specific skills, and then observed during rgular appointments. (MLW)

Five dental residents provided with patient behavioral management training showed improved performance of specific dentist-patient behaviors than those not given the training. The training is seen as successful because it was highly focused, behavior-specific, individualized, and carefully monitored. (MSE)

A course to help dental students learn techniques of putting fearful patients at ease includes use of physician-patient interviews in a clinical setting, patient reviews of the taped interview, interview evaluation, student-instructor conferences, and group discussion, followed by an actual treatment session and review discussion with the patient.…

A course model is described that has a sound base in theory but whose major emphasis is on its developmental, systematic, skills-oriented approach. A three-stage developmental sequence within the course (assessing, communicating, and motivating) is divided into component skills and presented over two years. (MSE)

A study undertaken to explore how dentists use patient data to plan treatment is presented. Three hundred forty-six general dentists used oral and general health findings to determine periodontal treatment for seven prototypic elderly patients. The results indicated that oral hygiene and major medications best discriminated between treatment…

A dental school clinic study investigated the relationship between dental students' grades, clinical skills, previous experience with patients, and gender and the proportion of the students' appointments broken by students. Results indicate female students used the clinic more, and all students used the clinic more as their education progressed.…

A study of recent dental school graduates' attitudes toward the elderly suggests that those attitudes may have little to do with formal dental curriculum elements in geriatric dentistry, and that newly trained professionals' attitudes do not differ greatly from those of professionals trained before geriatric dental curriculum was widespread. (MSE)

Differences in approach to three hypothetical dental moral dilemmas were found among dental students, but the differences were strongest in the early years of dental education, before significant patient contact. Freshmen rated principled reasons higher than older students. Further research into causes and actual behavior is recommended. (MSE)

One dental education program used patient-instructors to give individual feedback from the patient's perspective to students after each of five interview scenarios. Feedback was constructive and behaviorally oriented. Ratings assessed process and content skills. Results indicates student interpersonal skills improved significantly, content skills…

In 1980, the State University of New York at Stony Brook began a program, integrated into the program of children's dentistry, to train students in care for the developmentally disabled. Management of developmentally disabled patients is provided over three years, and represents an extension of pediatric behavior management. (MSE)