A survey of perceived problems in orthodontic education in 23 European countries.
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This paper reports on a survey of perceived problems in the provision of orthodontic education at the stages of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education (CPE) in 23 European countries in 1997. A questionnaire, together with an explanatory letter, was mailed to all members of the EUROQUAL II BIOMED project. Answers were validated during a meeting of project participants and by further correspondence, when necessary. The topics covered in the questionnaire were adequacy of funding, numbers of orthodontic teachers, availability of equipment, regulations, training centres, numbers of orthodontists, availability of books, journals, and information technology. Completed questionnaires were returned by orthodontists from all 23 countries. Respondents from seven countries did not answer all questions. Respondents reported a perceived almost universal lack of adequate funding for postgraduate orthodontic training (from 18 out of 20 countries) and, to a lesser extent, at undergraduate (13 out of 20 countries) and CPE levels (17 out of 21 countries). Respondents from 12 of the 20 countries reported adequate numbers of qualified teachers at undergraduate level, but only seven out of 18 at postgraduate level and eight out of 19 for CPE. Lack of suitable equipment was reported as a more frequent problem by central and eastern European countries (six out of 20 countries at undergraduate level, eight out of 20 countries at postgraduate level, and 12 out of 19 at CPE level). Too few or too many regulations were only perceived to be a problem by the respondent from one country out of 19 at undergraduate level, by seven out of 19 at postgraduate level, and by eight out of 16 at CPE level). Lack of training centres was more frequently reported as a problem by respondents from central and eastern European countries, but was generally not perceived as a problem by respondents from west European countries. Respondents from seven countries reported a lack of training centres for CPE. Respondents from six countries reported that they perceived there to be too many orthodontists at postgraduate level, from seven countries that there were an appropriate number, and from seven that there were too few. A lack of books, journals, and information technology was reported to be a problem by respondents from four out of 19 countries at undergraduate level, eight out of 20 at postgraduate level, and 10 out of 20 at CPE level. At both undergraduate and postgraduate level, the majority of respondents from central and eastern European countries reported problems with books, journals, and information technology. The results of the survey confirmed many anecdotal impressions and provided an extremely useful background against which to formulate quality guidelines for orthodontic education in Europe. (+info)
Tobacco-use cessation programs and policies at the University of Manitoba's faculty of dentistry.
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The deleterious effects of tobacco use on general health and oral health are well documented. While one-third of Manitobans are current smokers, up to 79% report they want to quit. Counselling by health care professionals can help achieve quit rates of 15-20%. Yet many health professionals do not provide tobacco-use cessation counselling because they feel they are not trained to do so. In 1998, the faculty of dentistry of the University of Manitoba implemented a number of tobacco-use cessation interventions in its undergraduate curricula and general teaching clinic. The faculty has also successfully obtained the inclusion of a dental fee code for tobacco-use cessation services in the provincial fee guide and has received approval to allow dentists who have completed an approved course in tobacco-use cessation training to prescribe bupropion HCl (Zyban), in consultation with a patient's physician, to aid smoking cessation. (+info)
The changing face of dental education: the impact of PBL.
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The past decade has seen increasing demands for reform of dental education that would produce a graduate better equipped to work in the rapidly changing world of the twenty-first century. Among the most notable curriculum changes implemented in dental schools is a move toward Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL, in some form, has been a feature of medical education for several decades, but has only recently been introduced into dental schools. This paper discusses the rationale for the introduction of a PBL pedagogy into dental education, the modalities of PBL being introduced, and the implications of the introduction of PBL into dental schools. Matters related to implementation, faculty development, admissions, and assessment are addressed. Observations derived from a parallel-track dental PBL curriculum at the University of Southern California (USC) are presented and discussed. This program conforms to the Barrows (1998) concept of "authentic PBL" in that the program has no scheduled lectures and maintains a PBL pedagogy for all four years of the curriculum. The USC dental students working in the PBL curriculum have attained a high level of achievement on U.S. National Dental Boards (Part I) examinations, significantly superior to their peers working in a traditional lecture-based curriculum. (+info)
The EXCEL Program: strengthening diversity.
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The Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUSDM) initiated a program in the summer of 1993 to strengthen diversity in the entering class of first-year students. The Experiential Center for Excellence in Learning (EXCEL) Program is a voluntary, one-month-long prematriculation experience that combines didactic, laboratory, study skills, and social activities to prepare participants to transition into the rigorous first-year curriculum. From 1996 to 2000, ninety students participated in EXCEL. The two primary reasons cited for participating were to become familiar with the school, faculty, and classmates and to strengthen basic science background. Participants' ages ranged from twenty to over forty. Fifty-nine percent of participants had been out of college for more than one year; 10 percent had been out of school for three years or more. Thirty percent listed nontraditional predental school majors. Fifty-six percent listed a country other than the United States as country of birth. Of those completing an exit survey, 96 percent reported that EXCEL strengthened their decision to study dentistry, and 97 percent would recommend that future entering BUSDM students participate in EXCEL. The EXCEL Program may serve as a model for increasing diversity in U.S. dental school enrollment. (+info)
Occupational exposures to blood in a dental teaching environment: results of a ten-year surveillance study.
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Evaluation of occupational exposures can assist with practice modifications, redesign of equipment, and targeted educational efforts. The data presented in this report has been collected as part of a ten-year surveillance program of occupational exposures to blood or other potentially infectious materials in a large dental teaching institution. From 1987 to 1997, a total of 504 percutaneous/non-intact skin and mucous membrane exposures were documented. Of these, 494 (98 percent) were percutaneous, and 10 (2 percent) were mucosal, each involving a splash to the eye of the dental care worker (DCW). Among the 504 exposures, 414 (82.1 percent) occurred among dental students, 60 (11.9 percent) among staff, and 30 (6 percent) among faculty. One hundred ninety-one (37.9 percent) exposures were superficial (no bleeding), 260 (51.6 percent) were moderate (some bleeding), and 53 (10.5 percent) were deep (heavy bleeding). Regarding the circumstances of exposure, 279 (54.5 percent) of the injuries occurred post-operatively (after the use of the device), and most were related to instrument clean-up; 210 (41.0 percent) occurred intra-operatively (during the use of the device); and 23 (4.5 percent) occurred when a DCW collided with a sharp object in the dental operatory (eight cases involved more than one circumstance). The overall exposure rate for the college was 2.46+/-0.11 SD per 10,000 patient visits. The average rate for the student population was 4.02+/-0.20 SD per 100 person-years, with the highest rates being observed among junior year students. The observed rates of occupational exposures to blood and body fluids in this report are consistent with published reports from several other educational settings. Dental teaching institutions are faced with the unique challenge of protecting the student and patient populations against bloodborne infections. Educational efforts must go beyond mere teaching of universal precautions and should include the introduction of safer products and clinical procedures that can minimize the risks associated with the hands-on aspects of the students' learning process. (+info)
Academics for dental primary care.
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Driven by the need to address integrated dental care, many UK dental schools have recognised the advantages of teaching dental practice, or dental primary care (DPC), as a separate and defined subject area. In such schools, DPC may be taught alongside specialist subjects such as restorative dentistry, oral surgery, oral medicine and those traditionally forming elements of the dental undergraduate curriculum. As a result, departments or units of general dental practice or DPC have been established. (+info)
Responding to the need for faculty development: a survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools.
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The Office of Professional Development at The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center Dental Branch was established in November 1996 in order to meet the professional development needs of the faculty, staff, and administration. Although other dental schools share similar needs, our research revealed no study to determine how dental schools managed their faculty development needs. Therefore, a preliminary survey to collect data about offices similar to ours was developed and sent to the deans of fifty-four U.S. schools including Puerto Rico and ten Canadian schools. Thirty-seven schools (58 percent) responded, and it was determined that five schools (14 percent) had Offices of Professional Development and seven (19 percent) had Offices of Faculty Affairs. Based on these results, an expanded follow-up survey was conducted. The respondents were asked to indicate 1) which entity within the school was primarily responsible for handling faculty development, and 2) which entity actually sponsored each of eighteen faculty development activities. With a response from thirty-three U.S. schools (61 percent) and six Canadian schools (60 percent), six administrative structures (models) for faculty development were identified: 1) Office of Academic Affairs, 2) Departmental Chair, 3) a Faculty Development Committee, 4) an Office of the Dean, 5) an Office of Faculty/Professional Development, and 6) Other Resources. (+info)
Factors considered by new faculty in their decision to choose careers in academic dentistry.
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To determine the characteristics of new dental faculty and what factors influenced them to choose academic careers, a survey was sent to deans at all U.S. dental schools to be distributed to faculty with length of service of four years or less. Responses were received from 240 individuals. About half of the respondents had been in private practice for an average of eight years, and 20 percent had military experience averaging almost sixteen years. A majority had postgraduate training and 60 percent had specialty training. Nearly 32 percent of new faculty were female and 80 percent were U.S. citizens. Analyses of responses to survey items indicated that correlated factors in the survey fell into the following empirical categories: teaching and scholarship, income and indebtedness, research, work schedule, influence of mentors and role models, and long-term aspirations. In general, the respondents identified factors relating to teaching and scholarship to be the most important influences on their choice of academic careers, while concerns about income and indebtedness were the most important negative considerations in this regard. Other positive factors identified by the survey related to the influence of mentors and role models, long-term aspirations, and research. Age, private practice experience, and military experience were found to particularly influence the new faculty members' responses to items concerning income and indebtedness, and citizenship influenced responses to factors relating to research. The data from this select group of dentists support the current view that inequities in income of dental faculty compared to private practitioners and student debt are important concerns in choosing academic careers. Importantly, the desire to teach and participate in scholarly activities are important attractions in academic careers. Mentoring activities and creation of opportunities for career development are crucial factors in developing interest in academics among graduate dentists. (+info)