Prerequisites in behavioral science and business: opportunities for dental education.
(49/80)
There is increasing pressure on recent dental school graduates to understand and successfully utilize patient management and business management strategies to run a productive dental office. Dental schools are faced with the dilemma to either add more credit hours in their already crowded curriculum or adjust predental school requirements. All fifty-nine U.S. dental schools were assessed online to determine admission requirements in the areas of behavioral science and business education. Results show that only 11.9 percent of the schools require prerequisite course work in behavioral science and no school requires prerequisite course work in business. However, 64.4 percent and 30.5 percent of schools encouraged or recommended prerequisite course work in behavioral science and business, respectively. We suggest that the dental education community involve key stakeholders to discuss the incorporation of prerequisite course work in behavioral science and business. Additional courses in these disciplines would provide dental students better backgrounds from which the dental curriculum could build a more advanced and applied perspective to better prepare students for practice. (+info)
A model for overview of student learning: a matrix of educational outcomes versus methodologies.
(50/80)
A concise overview of an institution's aspirations for its students becomes increasingly elusive because dental education has evolving emphases on priorities like critical thinking and adapting to new technology. The purpose of this article is to offer a learner-oriented matrix that gives a focus for discussion and an overview of an institution's educational outcomes. On one axis of the matrix, common educational outcomes are listed: knowledge, technical skills, critical thinking, ethical and professional values, patient and practice management, and social responsibility awareness. On the other axis, methodologies are listed: definition, cultivation strategies, measures (summative/formative, objective/subjective), institutional coordination, and competency determination. By completing the matrix, an overview of the process by which students reach these outcomes emerges. Each institution would likely complete the matrix differently and, ideally, with active discussion. While the matrix can first be used to establish "Where are we now?" for an institution, it can also be a starting point for more extensive matrices and further discussion. Vertical and horizontal analyses of the matrix provide a unique lens for viewing the institution's learning environment. (+info)
Perceptions of business skill development by graduates of the University of Michigan Dental School.
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Many graduating dentists leave dental school feeling that they are not prepared to start and run a dental practice. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions dental graduates have in the area of practice management. A twenty-item survey was mailed in the fall of 2008 to nearly half of the University of Michigan dental school alumni who had graduated between the years of 1997 and 2007. Respondents were asked about their demographics, practice characteristics, and perceptions of knowledge/experience regarding practice management skills at the present time as well as at graduation. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority of respondents were general practitioners (84 percent) aged thirty to thirty-nine practicing between six and ten years with practice incomes reported to be greater than $300,000 per year (79 percent). Most dentists reported being either an owner or co-owner of the practice (57 percent), and 33 percent reported being an associate in the practice. Upon graduation, 7 percent of the respondents felt that they had a strong knowledge of accounting or human resource issues; this perception increased to 47 percent at the present time. Similarly, less than 6 percent of respondents felt they understood issues pertaining to dental insurance upon graduation; this perception increased to 68 percent after having spent time in the workforce. In contrast to the large increase in knowledge/experience in business aspects of dentistry that had accrued since graduation, most alumni reported only a 7 percent increase in their knowledge of the legal aspects of dental practice. Results from this study indicate that interventions are needed to increase graduating dentists' knowledge of practice management and close the gap between their knowledge and its application in real life. The majority of alumni believed there is a need to improve the curriculum focused on these aspects of dental practice. (+info)
The feminization of dentistry: implications for the profession.
(53/80)
Over the last 40 years, the proportion of women in dentistry has been rising steadily, raising questions about the effects of this feminization on the profession. A review of the literature, although limited, highlights potentially important areas related to gender, including impact on work hours, practice models, professional incomes, the dentist-patient relationship, clinical philosophies, specialty practice, academia and leadership. Although cohorts of predominantly female dentists are only beginning to enter the workforce and, thus, it is difficult to predict the long-term effects, some trends are evident: women are less likely than men to own their practice; women may work 4-6 fewer hours a week and see fewer patients; there is a pay differential; female general practitioners and specialists appear more likely to work in urban centres; and women are less prominent in the specialties, academia and leadership roles. Thus, the profession may shift toward less entrepreneurship, more urbanization and, possibly, fewer clinical hours available to the population as a result of feminization. With the ultimate goal of excellence in patient care, this may entail increases in student enrolment, formal incentives for practice relocation to rural communities, more business education and policies to modify advanced education and training for women with children. This knowledge, although still not robust, is relevant for policy, educational institutions and professional governing bodies. (+info)
Level of oral health impacts among patients participating in PEARL: a dental practice-based research network.
(54/80)
The feminization of dentistry: implications for the profession.
(55/80)
Over the last 40 years, the proportion of women in dentistry has been rising steadily, raising questions about the effects of this feminization on the profession. A review of the literature, although limited, highlights potentially important areas related to gender, including impact on work hours, practice models, professional incomes, the dentist-patient relationship, clinical philosophies, specialty practice, academia and leadership. Although cohorts of predominantly female dentists are only beginning to enter the workforce and, thus, it is difficult to predict the long-term effects, some trends are evident: women are less likely than men to own their practice; women may work 4-6 fewer hours a week and see fewer patients; there is a pay differential; female general practitioners and specialists appear more likely to work in urban centres; and women are less prominent in the specialties, academia and leadership roles. Thus, the profession may shift toward less entrepreneurship, more urbanization and, possibly, fewer clinical hours available to the population as a result of feminization. With the ultimate goal of excellence in patient care, this may entail increases in student enrolment, formal incentives for practice relocation to rural communities, more business education and policies to modify advanced education and training for women with children. This knowledge, although still not robust, is relevant for policy, educational institutions and professional governing bodies. (+info)
Building osteoporosis prevention into dental practice.
(56/80)
OBJECTIVES: The National Report Card on Osteoporosis Care (2008) announced the need for comprehensive approaches to risk reduction and improvement in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis. Dental research has suggested that low systemic bone-mineral density also occurs in alveolar bone, and people with osteoporosis may have an increased risk of tooth loss. Whether or not a causal link exists, both conditions share similar modifiable risk factors, including a role for calcium and vitamin D. The purpose of this paper was to critically examine the role calcium and vitamin D play in the relationship between osteoporosis and the risk of tooth loss. METHODS: Scientific articles were obtained through PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AgeLine and Web of Science. Publications were restricted to those involving human subjects, and English-language articles on calcium and vitamin D. The search yielded 8 articles relating to osteoporosis and tooth loss that included calcium and vitamin D intake. RESULTS: Despite methodological concerns, the evidence shows a relationship between osteoporosis and tooth loss for people who have an inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D. Adequate calcium intake positively influences optimal peak bone mass and may also assist in tooth retention in later life. CONCLUSIONS: The dental sector can assist with national prevention strategies for osteoporosis care. (+info)