A model for assessing the ethical environment in academic dentistry.

Weber's "Institutional Ethics Audit" model was designed as a tool for assessment of an organization's effort to institutionalize ethics into its operations. In this model, the overall ethical environment of an organization is evaluated through an assessment of its 1) ethical cultures, 2) ethics policy, 3) enforcement mechanisms, and 4) ethical training. Assessment of these components allows the organization to be placed along a continuum that spans aethical firms, compliance firms, emerging firms, and integrity firms. This paper presents the conceptual framework for this model. We propose that application of this model to academic institutions, including dental schools, could provide appropriate information to improve the ethical climate of the institution.

Strategies for student services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in dental schools.

The purpose of this article is to explore issues that pertain to the needs of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students as a subgroup in U.S. dental schools. The increasing visibility of GLBT persons in all aspects of life is one aspect of the changing face of the U.S. population. Increasingly, there is dialogue about issues related to GLBT persons, their nontraditional families, and their full engagement in society. Recent court decisions, changing policies in states and municipalities, and increasing acceptance in society promote inclusion. Likewise, this dialogue has extended into academic life. In medicine and nursing, GLBT issues include the needs of GLBT patients, the mentoring of faculty and administration, and acculturation of students in a dynamic college environment. Increasing the acceptance of GLBT persons and enhancing the value of diversity throughout the community and within the profession are challenges that must be met. In addition, fostering positive behaviors in a multicultural environment is a priority that is recognized in business and academe. In an effort to assess the present situation in U.S. dental schools, a survey was developed to gather data about support services provided for GLBT students. Based on the results of the survey, a series of recommendations are made to meet the needs of GLBT students, faculty, staff, and administrators in dental education institutions.

Identification of factors influencing matriculation decisions by dental school applicants.

Recent dental school surveys have indicated a slight decrease in the overall number of dental school applicants. As a result, competition for the most highly qualified students is increasing among dental schools. A number of factors may contribute to an applicant's decision on where to matriculate, such as tuition costs, cost of living in an area, location of the dental school, reputation, availability of financial aid, and the school's facilities. Identifying the reasons why students choose to attend a specific school may be an important first step in formulating a strategic plan for recruitment. As a result, a survey was sent to all students (250) interviewed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine for the 2000-01 admissions cycle. The results of this survey were compared to a similar survey sent following the 1994-95 admissions cycle. In addition, the results of the University of Pittsburgh surveys were compared to a similar survey conducted by a different northeastern dental school. The factors rated most important in 1994-95 were reputation, facilities, and location, in order. In 2000-01, location, curriculum, tuition, and reputation were rated the most important factors, in order. This information may assist admissions officers in formulating an effective recruitment strategy for the most highly qualified applicants.

Students' perceived importance of diversity exposure and training in dental education.

Intercultural competence is an important component of the doctor-patient relationship in the multicultural climate evolving in the United States. We hypothesized that 1) exposure to racial and ethnic diversity in the student body, faculty, staff, and patient population in dental school and 2) a dental school curriculum that includes presentations on issues concerning racial and ethnic diversity will contribute to students' feeling more competent and confident to enter the multicultural work environment that is rapidly developing in the United States. A Likert-type scale questionnaire was administered to 627 fourth-year dental students enrolled in seven dental schools representing geographically diverse regions of the United States. Of these, 376 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 60 percent. Results indicated that both the perception of diversity in the school environment and the presentation of diversity-specific content in the curriculum had moderately positive and significant correlations with the students' perception of their competency or ability to serve and work with diverse populations. The respective Pearson correlation coefficients for diversity in the school environment and diversity curriculum were .497 (p<.001) and .459 (p<.001). These results support the hypotheses that diversity exposure and training in the dental school environment are important for dental students entering a multicultural workplace.