A model program in dentistry for the handicapped offered at the University of Tennessee and supported by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant is described. The program includes didactic instruction, observation and seminar, and clinical practice. (JMF)

The greatest gap between disadvantaged minorities and nonminorities in America is thought to be found in the health status of and the health care availability to minorities as compared to nonminorities. Insufficient minority health personnel is seen as one of the factors contributing to the problem. (MLW)

The hypothesis that individuals involved in supportive interpersonal relationships are buffered against the deleterious effects of stress is evaluated in a dental school setting. Levels of support for men and women were correlated with academic performance and indices of physical and psychological well-being. (Author/MLW)

A study of 144 patients assigned to eight orthodontic residents over two years found residents requested lateral tomograms of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) 28% of the time, commonly citing TMJ clicking, pain, and medico-legal protection. Posteroanterior cephalograms were ordered 26% of the time, commonly for facial asymmetry and maxillary…

A 7-year-old girl who exhibited characteristics consistent with developmental apraxia of speech, including excessive nasal resonance and nasal emission of air resulting from velopharyngeal port dysfunction, was fitted with a palatal lift prosthesis and followed for 11 years. Results of use of the lift and speech/language remedial programing are…

The construct and predictive validities of the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) were examined. The results indicate that each of the subtests exhibits different predictive validity. A linear combination of PAT subtest scores was found to be more predictive of first-year dental school technique performance than the total PAT score. (Author/MLW)

A survey of dental technology programs (n=47) found that, of 227 new faculty hired between 1978 and 1988, 110 left within that period. Personal reasons (better positions and salaries elsewhere) were the most commonly cited, implying job and salary dissatisfaction. Conflicts with administration and starting own laboratories were also common. (MSE)

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)

A variety of issues in the debate over assurance of quality of dental care are discussed, including the methods and implementation of quality assessment and the mechanisms of quality assurance among individual dentists. (MSE)

The Dental Admission Testing Program will begin reporting DAT scores on a new standard score scale. This scale is based on the underlying ability metric rather than on the normal distribution of the one to nine scale. A comparison of the two standard score scales is presented. (Author/MLW)

Investment of time and funds by New Zealand students was appraised in five specific tertiary education courses, namely Accountancy, Dentistry, Law, Medicine, and Pharmacy. The study used the Internal Rate of Return Method and data from the 1981 census on income and hours of work. Results indicated the courses were "profitable" even when…

Because most states incorporate similar clinical tests in their dental licensing examinations and most dentists surveyed would like greater mobility between states without taking another clinical examination, development of a national clinical examination is desirable. Demonstration of continued competency should also be required. (MSE)

Legal standards for informed consent are discussed in the context of dental care for the elderly and severely ill. Variations in state common law and legislation are analyzed, focusing on differences between practitioner-oriented and patient-oriented approaches to informed consent. Implications for educators and practitioners are examined.…

This speech examines the role of the health profession schools within the university and how they may relate to both the university and society. The author examines how dental schools can move more effectively into the future by properly addressing the newer realities within the university and society. (GLR)

Three areas of biological research that are beginning to have an impact on clinical medicine are examined, including molecular biology, cell biology, and biotechnology. It is concluded that oral biologists and educators must work cooperatively to bring rapid biological and biomedical advances into dental training in a meaningful way. (MSE)