Need for genetics education in U.S. dental and dental hygiene programs.
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The two major afflictions of the oral cavity are dental caries and gingival/periodontal disease. While microorganisms have long been acknowledged as important etiologic factors, the most recent research data demonstrate that both of these pathologic conditions have a strong hereditary base, i.e., even in the presence of putative pathogenic microorganisms, if the host individual is not genetically susceptible, ensuing disease will be mild or even nonexistent. In the face of this evidence for heritability of the two major oral diseases, we evaluated what educational experiences in genetics were provided to students in U.S. dental schools and dental hygiene programs in 2003-04. Our survey of fifty-four dental schools revealed that only one requires a formal genetics course before admission, and only six incorporate a required genetics course within the dental curriculum. Of the 264 dental hygiene programs surveyed, none require a formal genetics course as a prerequisite for admission, and none require a formal genetics course within their curricula. The enormous successes, and future promise, of the Human Genome Project suggest that genetics will soon dominate the future of medicine and dentistry, in prediction of diseases, disease diagnosis, and, eventually, therapy for genetically based disorders. It is therefore incumbent upon dental and dental hygiene education programs to provide genetics education for tomorrow's practitioners. (+info)
Perspectives on affirmative action in academic dental institutions: the U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the University of Michigan cases.
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In June 2003 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of using race as a factor in higher education admissions decisions. This article considers the impact of the Supreme Court decisions on admissions procedures at selected academic dental institutions (ADI) and their parent institutions. We interviewed fifty-eight leaders considered to be individual stakeholders at seven ADI and their related parent institutions, state dental associations, and state legislatures using a common set of questions about the Supreme Court decisions. Educators from the ADI and their parent institutions were consistent in their responses that the rulings upheld affirmative action as necessary to achieve diversity. State organized dentistry officials did not appear to be as aware as others of the rulings, whereas legislators were mixed in their responses. Except for the University of Michigan undergraduate admissions procedures, it remains to be seen what the impact will be for other higher education institutions and for academic dental institutions. Although the rulings have provided guidelines for achieving diversity using race/ ethnicity as one of several factors, the rulings will possibly be challenged, thus requiring vigilance on the part of parent institutions and their ADI to ensure compliance with the spirit of the rulings and to avoid attack from opponents of affirmative action. (+info)
Characteristics of dental school feeder institutions.
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A major challenge faced by all dental schools is the need to attract highly qualified student applicants. The purpose of this study was to use 2002-03 AADSAS data to identify and characterize feeder colleges and universities that are the major source of applicants to U.S. dental schools. Feeder schools were defined as any institutions with five or more applicants, and minority-feeder schools as those with two or more minority applicants. Feeder schools were ranked by their total numbers of applicants (Category 1) and by their ratio of applicants to total undergraduate enrollment (Category 2). Feeder institutions were compared using total enrollment, degree status, geographic distribution, religious affiliation, numbers of minority applicants, and college admissions selectivity criteria. The top fifty Category 1 schools had an average enrollment of over 19,000 students and an average of sixty-seven applicants. The top fifty Category 2 schools had an average enrollment of approximately 8,500 students and an average of forty-nine applicants. Less than 1 percent of applicants from the top feeder institutions attended the nation's most competitive schools. California and Utah accounted for 28 percent of the total applicants from feeder institutions, followed by Florida (6.2 percent) and New York (5.7 percent). Seventeen of the top twenty-five Category 2 schools (68 percent) were affiliated with or had student bodies associated with a particular religion, with the Seventh-Day Adventist and Mormon institutions accounting for 544 applicants. The majority of all applicants from feeder institutions attended schools in the Southwest. The majority of black and Hispanic feeder institutions were in Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. Results suggest that factors such as school size, geographic location, religious affiliation, and admissions selectivity criteria of colleges and universities may have a direct impact on the dental applicant pool. (+info)
Reliability and validity of a manual dexterity test to predict preclinical grades.
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The University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry wanted to determine if a predental school manual dexterity test predicts: 1) subsequent grades in preclinical restorative courses, and 2) faculty perceptions of satisfactory performance in these skills that would indicate the student is ready to advance to the clinic. The study population was comprised of all 244 applicants admitted to UCSF School of Dentistry's D.D.S. program from Classes of 2000 to 2002 and who matriculated into the program. The manual dexterity test (MDT) consisted of a two-hour block-carving test. Three preclinical faculty, three clinical faculty, and two basic science faculty graded the blocks. Even after instruction and calibration, faculty varied greatly in their grading (intra-rater reliability kappa statistics ranging from 0.34 to 1.00). Two of three preclinical raters gave No Passes for the MDT in 9.8 percent of the incoming, first-year dental students. Of these twenty-three students, only four (17 percent) were in the lower 10 percent of their classes according to their five preclinical restorative laboratory courses after two years, and four (33 percent) were among the twelve students the three preclinical laboratory directors identified as laboratory cautions. The MDT did not significantly (p=0.342) predict students in the bottom 10 percent after five restorative preclinical laboratory courses, above and beyond current admissions criteria. Among current admissions criteria, PAT score was the only item at least moderately correlated with preclinical average percentile class rank (Spearman correlation = 0.34). In conclusion, the MDT did not appear to add information to the current admissions criteria. (+info)
Relation between variables of preadmission, medical school performance, and COMLEX-USA levels 1 and 2 performance.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between preadmission academic variables, osteopathic medical school performance in the first 2 years, and performance on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) Levels 1 and 2. The study group comprised 174 students in the class of 2001 of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of the New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury. Preadmission academic variables were the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) subscores and undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs). Physical sciences (physical MCAT) and biological sciences MCAT (biological MCAT) subscores were significantly correlated with COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance, and verbal reasoning, physical, and biological MCAT subscores were correlated with Level 2 performance. COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance was correlated with the year 1 grade point average (GPA) (0.78) and the year 2 GPA (0.83). COMLEX-USA Level 2 performance was correlated with the year 1 GPA (0.64) and the year 2 GPA (0.68). Strong correlations existed between all year 1 and most year 2 course grades and COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores. School-specific regression models that were highly predictive of school performance and COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance were developed. COMLEX-USA Level 1 predictive models used preadmission variables combined with the year 1 and year 2 course grades. The year 2 courses' model had a higher predictive value for COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance (R2 = 0.81) than the year 1 courses' model (R2 = 0.77). Significant predictors of COMLEX-USA Level 1 performance in the combined year 1 and 2 courses' model were the pharmacology II, neuropathology, and pulmonary pathology grades, and the verbal and physical MCAT subscores (R2 = 0.820). (+info)
Enrollment, cost, and academic admission criteria of U.S. Dental schools by geographic region and institution type.
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This article presents the academic qualifications of matriculating dental students (as indicated by overall undergraduate GPA, undergraduate science GPA, average DAT scores, and average PAT scores) and total cost of education for students at U.S. dental schools according to geographic location and funding sources. Dental schools were divided on the basis of geographic location (Northeast, South, Central, or West) and principal means of funding (public versus private). Average four-year total educational expenses as reported in the 1996-97 and 2000-01 matriculation years were compared as well as undergraduate overall GPA, science GPA, DAT academic average, and PAT score. Public dental schools in the southern region cost significantly less than any other region of any funding type. Public dental schools in the western region had significantly higher average GPA, average science GPA, DAT academic average, and PAT scores among their matriculating classes than did any other region. Public dental schools from the western region also had the least amount of increase in projected four-year expenses between the two matriculation years compared. Excluding PAT scores, western public dental schools had the highest academic admission criteria of any region of either funding type. (+info)
Diversity and professional excellence.
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There are compelling moral and practical reasons why the memberships in professions should mirror the populations that they serve. In order to address this general issue more exactly, this essay will confine itself to a particular case as an emblem for the general point. The particular case is the profession of orthopedic surgeons in the United States. From an examination of this specific case, it is hoped that more general issues of racial, ethnic, and gender fairness within the professions will also be addressed. (+info)
Predicting academic performance and clinical competency for international dental students: seeking the most efficient and effective measures.
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Measures used in the selection of international dental students to a U.S. D.D.S. program were examined to identify the grouping that most effectively and efficiently predicted academic performance and clinical competency. Archival records from the International Dental Program (IDP) at Loma Linda University provided data on 171 students who had trained in countries outside the United States. The students sought admission to the D.D.S. degree program, successful completion of which qualified them to sit for U.S. licensure. As with most dental schools, competition is high for admission to the D.D.S. program. The study's goal was to identify what measures contributed to a fair and accurate selection process for dental school applicants from other nations. Multiple regression analyses identified National Board Part II and dexterity measures as significant predictors of academic performance and clinical competency. National Board Part I, TOEFL, and faculty interviews added no significant additional help in predicting eventual academic performance and clinical competency. (+info)