The global network on dental education: a new vision for IFDEA.

The advent of globalization has changed our perspectives radically. It presents increased understanding of world affairs, new challenges and exciting opportunities. The inequitable distribution and use of finite energy resources and global warming are just two examples of challenges that can only be addressed by concerted international collaboration. Globalization has become an increasingly important influence on dentistry and dental education. The International Federation for Dental Educators and Associations (IFDEA) welcomes the challenges it now faces as a player in a complex multifaceted global community. This report addresses the new circumstances in which IFDEA must operate, taking account of the recommendations made by other working groups. The report reviews the background and evolution of IFDEA and describes the extensive developments that have taken place in IFDEA over the past year with the introductions of a new Constitution and Bylaws overseen by a newly established Board of Directors. These were the consequence of a new mission, goals and objectives for IFDEA. An expanded organization is planned using http://www.IFDEA.org as the primary instrument to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, programmes and expertise between colleagues and federated associations throughout the world, thereby promoting higher standards in oral health through education in low-, middle- and high-income countries of the world. Such aspirations are modified by the reality and enormity of poverty-related global ill health.

ADEA annual survey of clinic fees and revenue: 1998-1999 academic year.

The American Dental Education Association's 1998-1999 Survey of Clinic Fees and Revenue obtained data by which to report, by school, clinic revenue information per undergraduate student. Fifty of the fifty-five U.S. dental schools responded to the survey. The median revenue per third-year student was $6,313. It was $11,680 for fourth-year students. Clinic revenue data was also obtained by type of postdoctoral program. The postdoctoral general dentistry programs had the highest per student clinic revenues, at over $59,000 per AEGD student and almost $35,000 per student of GPR programs. Other areas of the survey provided information regarding clinic fees by type of program, levels of uncompensated care by type of program, clinic revenue by source of payment, and dental school fees as a percent of usual and customary private practice fees.

Trends in allied dental education: an analysis of the past and a look to the future.

Allied dental healthcare providers have been an integral part of the dental team since the turn of the 19th century. Like dental education, allied dental education's history includes a transition from apprenticeships and proprietary school settings to dental schools and community and technical colleges. There are currently 258 dental assisting programs, 255 dental hygiene programs, and 28 dental laboratory technology programs according to the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. First-year enrollment increased 9.5 percent in dental hygiene education from 1994/95 to 1998/99, while enrollment in dental assisting programs declined 7 percent and declined 31 percent in dental laboratory technology programs during the same period. Program capacity exceeds enrollment in all three areas of allied dental education. Challenges facing allied dental education include addressing the dental practicing community's perception of a shortage of dental assistants and dental hygienists and increasing pressure for career tracks that do not require education in ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation accredited programs. The allied dental workforce may also be called upon for innovative approaches to improve access to oral health care and reduce oral health care disparities. In addition, allied dental education programs may face challenges in recruiting faculty with the desired academic credentials. ADEA is currently pursuing initiatives in these and other areas to address the current and emerging needs of allied dental education.

Dental school vacant budgeted faculty positions: academic year 2000 - 2001.

The 1999 Report of the AADS President's Task Force on the Future of Dental School Faculty (1) drew attention to the situation dental schools are experiencing in attracting and retaining faculty. A year 2000 ADEA Association Report on faculty shortages indicated the number of vacant budgeted positions was approaching 400 (2). The year 2000 - 2001 ADEA survey of vacant budgeted positions indicates a further four percent increase in vacant budgeted positions. Over 73 percent of the vacancies were in the clinical sciences. Of identified full time faculty separations in the 2000-2001 ADEA Survey of Dental Educators (3), almost 34 percent were due to retirements; 33 percent were faculty moves to other schools; and a little over 18 percent were moves to enter private practice. Almost three percent of identified faculty separations were from deaths. It is anticipated that, with a further "graying" of an already aged dental school faculty, retirements will further exacerbate the problem of faculty vacancies and the ability to attract and retain new faculty. There is needed urgency in implementing strategies and recommendations provided in the 1999 President's Report and the 2000 Association Report.

Dental school faculty shortages increase: an update on future dental school faculty.

The 1999 publication of the American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) President s Task Force on Future Dental School Faculty revealed a crisis in the shortages of dental school faculty. Stakeholders from around the nation have used the AADS Task Force report to address the crisis. In addressing one of the AADS Task Force recommendations, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), formerly AADS, gathered additional data through a new survey of dental school deans to elucidate the current state of faculty shortages. Based on this research, ADEA projects that the number of unfilled budgeted faculty positions in U.S. dental schools now approaches 400. Survey respondents identified retirement as the leading reason for full-time faculty separations, while separation to enter private practice was the second most frequent reason for leaving the institution. Offering a salary competitive with that of private practice was identified as the most critical factor in recruiting future faculty. A number of short and long-range strategies to recruit and retain faculty are presented. Ultimately, the dental school faculty shortage places in jeopardy the general and oral health of the public.

Issues of academic integrity in U.S. dental schools.

Evidence of violations of academic integrity can be identified at all levels of education. A survey on academic integrity was mailed in 1998 to the academic deans of all fifty-five U.S. dental schools, with a response rate of 84 percent. This survey showed that reported incidents of academic dishonesty occur in most dental schools, with the average school dealing with one or two cases a year. The most common incidents of dishonest behavior involved copying or aiding another student during a written examinations; the second most common involved writing an untrue patient record entry or signing a faculty member's name in a patient chart. Respondents indicated the major reason for failure to report academic dishonesty was fear of involvement because of time and procedural hassles and fear of repercussions from students and peers.

U.S. dental school applicants and enrollees: a ten year perspective.

Applications to dental schools increased throughout the 1990s until 1997. In 1998 this pattern reversed, and the number of dental school applicants has dropped each year since that time and continues to decline through the application cycle for the 2001-2002 first-year class. Possible reasons for the decline in applications include an abundance of financially rewarding career opportunities fueled by the robust U.S. economy, a reluctance by college students to assume more educational debt, an unfavorable view of healthcare careers in the light of managed care and declining federal reimbursement, and assumptions about the difficulty of gaining admittance to dental school given the high academic achievement of those who have been admitted in recent years. A national decline in the applicant pool does not necessarily translate into a decline for any given dental school. The quality of applicants, judged by grade point averages and Dental Admissions Test scores, is high. Nevertheless, the recent drop in dental school applicants is a cause for concern. Because recruitment must be approached as a process that takes years to yield results, stakeholders in dental education need to sustain vigorous recruiting efforts even in the best of times.

An association perspective: responding to the American Dental Association's future of dentistry project.

In response to the American Dental Association's (ADA) Future of Dentistry Project, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) provided its perspective on the most critical issues facing the dental profession. ADEA responded in six areas, each corresponding to the areas of focus in the ADA project. The comments in this Association Report reflect those provided to the six panels conducting the project.

Report of the ADEA president's task force on the Surgeon General's report on oral health. American Dental Education Association.

In response to the first-ever Surgeon General's report on oral health, released on May 25, 2000, ADEA President Rowland A. Hutchinson, D.D.S., M.S., appointed a task force to study the report from the perspective of dental education. The task force was charged with making recommendations to the ADEA Board of Directors as to the Association's message to members and the general public, the Association's role in addressing oral health disparities, the legislative and policy implications of the report, and areas of collaboration between ADEA and others in the dental and health professions. The task force reviewed the report and made five recommendations, including increasing public awareness of the report's messages, promoting collaborative activities with a goal of improving America's oral health, and providing leadership in the drive to promote the incorporation of new science in dental education. The task force also identified numerous ADEA initiatives that address issues related to the Surgeon General's report.