Physiological status and functional anatomy of zebra fish (Danio rerio) exposed to various levels of Ga3.

Gallium (Ga) is one of the intermetallic elements that has been used in cancer treatment for a long time. However, Ga compounds are increasingly being used to make high-speed semiconductors and photoelectric devices. The current work investigated physiological and pathological changes in zebra fish (Danio rerio) exposed to various Ga3+ levels (0.55, 1.5, and 3.85 mg/L) over a 14-day test period. Decreases in oxygen consumption were significant (p < 0.05) for groups exposed to 3.85 Ga3+ mg/L; this was associated with the fusion of zebra fish gills lamellae. Serum biochemical changes (including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase) were consistent with observations of damage to organelles within the hepatocytes at higher Ga3+ exposure levels (1.5 and 3.85 mg/L) in zebra fish. We propose <0.55 Ga3+ mg/L as a biologically safe concentration that can be used to establish water quality criteria for this teleost model.

Structural, biochemical, and physiological characterization of photosynthesis in leaf-derived cup-shaped galls on Litsea acuminata.

BACKGROUND: The source and sink relationships between insect-induced galls and host plant leaves are interesting. In this research, we collected cup-like galls induced by Bruggmanniella sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on host leaves of Litsea acuminata and assessed them to investigate source-sink relationships between galls and host leaves. We characterized several of their photosynthetic characteristics including chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic capacity, biochemical components such as total soluble sugar, starches, free amino acids, and soluble proteins. The structural analyses were performed under confocal, light, and scanning electron microscopies. RESULTS: Compared with host leaves, galls exhibited slightly lower chlorophyll fluorescence; however, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity were not detected at all. Galls accumulated higher total soluble sugars and free amino acids but less soluble proteins than host leaves. No stomata was observed on exterior or interior gall surfaces under light or scanning electron microscopy, but their inner surfaces were covered with fungal hyphae. Confocal imagery showed a gradient of chloroplasts distribution between gall outer and inner surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that leaf-derived cecidomyiid galls are a type of chlorophyll-deficient non-leaf green tissue and consists on a novel sink in L. acuminate.

Leaf-derived cecidomyiid galls are sinks in Machilus thunbergii (Lauraceae) leaves.

Three relevant hypotheses - nutrition, environment and the enemies hypothesis - often invoked to explore source and sink relationships between galls and their host plants are still under dispute. In this research, chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange capacity, stomatal conductance, total carbon and nitrogen, total soluble sugars and starches, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy of two types of galls were used to investigate source-sink relationships. Compared with host leaves, these galls demonstrated slightly lower chlorophyll fluorescence; however, gas exchange capacity and stomatal conductance were not detected at all. Scanning electron micrographs demonstrated that the abaxial epidermis of host leaves contain normal amounts of stomata, whereas no stomata were observed on the exterior and interior surfaces of both types of galls. In addition, gall inner surfaces were covered with many kinds of fungal hyphae. Gall total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) levels were lower but the C/N ratio was higher in galls than host leaves. Both types of galls accumulated higher total soluble sugars and starches than host leaves. Transmission electron micrographs also revealed that both types of galls contain plastoglobuli and giant starch granules during gall development. Results strongly indicate that leaf-derived cecidomyiid galls are sinks in Machilus thunbergii leaves. However, it is perplexing how larvae cycle and balance CO(2) and O(2) in gall growth chambers without stomata.

Benefit analysis of the auto-verification system of intelligent inspection for microorganisms.

In recent years, the automatic machine for microbial identification and antibiotic susceptibility tests has been introduced into the microbiology laboratory of our hospital, but there are still many steps that need manual operation. The purpose of this study was to establish an auto-verification system for bacterial naming to improve the turnaround time (TAT) and reduce the burden on clinical laboratory technologists. After the basic interpretation of the gram staining results of microorganisms, the appearance of strain growth, etc., the 9 rules were formulated by the laboratory technologists specialized in microbiology for auto-verification of bacterial naming. The results showed that among 70,044 reports, the average pass rate of auto-verification was 68.2%, and the reason for the failure of auto-verification was further evaluated. It was found that the main causes reason the inconsistency between identification results and strain appearance rationality, the normal flora in the respiratory tract and urine that was identified, the identification limitation of the mass spectrometer, and so on. The average TAT for the preliminary report of bacterial naming was 35.2 h before, which was reduced to 31.9 h after auto-verification. In summary, after auto-verification, the laboratory could replace nearly 2/3 of manual verification and issuance of reports, reducing the daily workload of medical laboratory technologists by about 2 h. Moreover, the TAT on the preliminary identification report was reduced by 3.3 h on average, which could provide treatment evidence for clinicians in advance.

Enhancing patient-centred care in Taiwan's dental education system: Exploring the feasibility of doctor-patient communication education and training.

Background/purpose: Improved communication can optimize treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction. Findings emphasize the need for tailored communication strategies based on patient characteristics. Implementing communication courses can enhance patient-centered care and reduce conflicts. Therefore, this study examined the feasibility of integrating doctor-patient communication education in Taiwan's dental education system. Materials and methods: Using interviews and questionnaires, we conducted descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed-effects model analysis on the importance of doctor-patient communication from the dentist and patient perspectives. Results: More than 600 patient surveys and four interviewed dentists with 20+ years of experience stressed doctor-patient communication in dentistry. Patients' age and income were positively related to the emphasis on physician-patient communication but negatively associated with dental assistants' communication. Dentists valued communication education but differed in its execution and importance. Conclusion: It is recommended to initiate dentist-patient communication education during university studies and continue its practice to adapt to the changing societal dynamics. Individuals with higher socioeconomic status and older age show a greater appreciation for dentist-patient communication, potentially driven by self-promotion, thereby highlighting the diverse nature of doctor-patient relationships. Based on our findings, we suggest to implement the doctor-patient communication courses in Taiwan.

Comparison of past and current dental school curricula for dental students of National Taiwan University.

Background/purpose: The complete curriculum schedule of the School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University (NTU) appeared in 1960. This study aimed to understand the development of dental education in Taiwan by comparing the past and current dental school curricula of NTU. Materials and methods: This study collected the 1960, 1990 and 2020 dental school curriculum schedules for dental students of NTU from the related websites and used the documentary and secondary data analyses to further compare the obtained data. Results: The number of credits for all the curricula offered by NTU to undergraduate dental students decreased from 264 in 1960 to 243 in 1990 and further to 242 in 2020 with a total decrease of 22 credits by 8.3%. The number (proportion) of credits of medicine courses decreased from 102 (38.6%) in 1960 to 52 (21.4%) in 1990, and then increased to 60 (24.8%) in 2020, with a total decrease of 42 credits by 41.2%, while those of dentistry courses increased from 70 (26.5%) in 1960 to 122 (50.2%) in 1990 and further to 132 (54.5%) in 2020, with a total increase of 62 credits by 88.6%. Among them, clinical practice of dentistry had the greatest growth with a total increase of 42 credits by 233.3%. Conclusion: The increase of dentistry courses and the decrease of medicine courses are the general trends for modern dental education. The dental school of NTU has the ability to provide more refined dentistry courses to catch the world trend of dental education.

The impact of integrating oral health education into a microbiology curriculum for students of department of life science.

Background/purpose: Good oral health is important for general health of the body. This study aimed to evaluate an innovative design incorporating oral health education related to oral pathogenic bacteria into a microbiology laboratory curriculum for students of department of life science by evaluating the students' perspectives on the oral health curriculum. Materials and methods: Twenty-six students who took the elective course entitled "Microbiology Laboratory" in the National Taiwan Normal University in 2022 were invited to fill out the questionnaire for a presurvey regarding their familiarity with basic oral health concepts, and a postsurvey in which the students answered the same presurvey questions after finishing the class. Results: Of the 26 students, 25 (96.15%) participated in both the presurvey and postsurvey. The results showed that the learning unit of oral health education related to oral pathogenic bacteria helped students in raising their concepts of oral health. To the questions asking that I understand the bacteria that cause dental caries and the pathogenic mechanism and I understand the bacteria that cause periodontal diseases and the pathogenic mechanism, the numbers of students who agreed both questions increased from 2 (8%) to 25 (100%), respectively. Moreover, the mean scores increased from 2.64 to 4.32 (P < 0.001) and from 2.68 to 4.32 (P < 0.001) for the two corresponding questions, respectively. Conclusion: The learning unit of oral health education in the microbiology laboratory curriculum helped the students of department of life science to increase their awareness and understanding of oral health.

The impact of integrating oral health education into a human physiology curriculum for students of early childhood education.

Background/purpose: The good oral health plays a pivotal role in improving the general health of the body. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an innovative design incorporating oral health education into a human physiology curriculum for students of early childhood education by evaluating the students' perspectives on the oral health curriculum. Materials and methods: Forty-two first-year students who took the compulsory course entitled "Introduction to Human Physiology" in National Taiwan Normal University in 2022 were invited to fill out the questionnaire for a presurvey regarding their familiarity with basic oral health concepts, and a postsurvey in which the students answered the same presurvey questions after finishing the class. Results: Of the 42 students, 41 (97.62%) participated in both the presurvey and postsurvey. The results showed that the learning unit of oral health education helped students in raising their concepts on oral health. To the questions asking that I understand the structure and function of the oral cavity and I understand common oral diseases (dental caries and periodontal diseases), the numbers of students who agreed increased from 12 (29.27%) to 39 (95.12%) and 11 (26.83%) to 36 (87.80%), respectively. Moreover, the mean scores increased from 3.24 to 4.20 (P < 0.001) and from 3.12 to 4.29 (P < 0.001) for the two corresponding questions, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the learning unit of oral health education in the human physiology curriculum for students of early childhood education helped the students to increase their awareness and understanding of oral health.

The training effectiveness of dental trainees in postgraduate year training program for dentists.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Taiwan's two-year postgraduate year training program for dentists (PGYD) has been implemented since 2010. However, there was no relevant study for confirming the training effectiveness of PGYD trainees. This study evaluated whether different training institution attributes and different training modes for PGYD trainees could result in differences in the achievement of PGYD training purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We adopted the questionnaire survey to collect the views of PGYD trainees on the training effectiveness of PGYD and further evaluated whether different training institution attributes and different training modes for PGYD trainees could result in differences in the achievement of PGYD training purposes. RESULTS: For the "patient-centered" learning environment and the management ability to be a responsible dental clinic owner, the views of PGYD trainees in dental clinics and district hospitals were more positive than those in medical centers. For the clinical professional ability and the management ability to be a responsible dental clinic owner, the views of PGYD trainees in joint group were more positive than those in single hospital. CONCLUSION: We conclude that both hospitals and dental clinics can achieve PGYD training purposes. The smaller training institutions (dental clinics or district hospitals) are better training institution attributes and the joint group is the better training mode to achieve PGYD training purposes. The joint groups with medical centers combining many dental clinics, especially those in remote areas, may be an excellent training mode, because this training mode has the high potential to subsequently balance the distribution of dentists in Taiwan.

Distribution of students admitted to dental schools of general universities in Taiwan in 2020.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: In Taiwan, the average income of a dentist increases after the implementation of national health insurance in 1995. Thus, the domestic departments of dentistry become a popular choice of university departments for high school graduates. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the distribution of students admitted to dental schools of general universities in each city or county in 2020 and to further compare the differences in regional distributions of dental freshmen accepted by three admission ways in 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study collected the number of dental freshmen of general universities in each city or county in 2020 for further evaluating the differences in regional distributions of dental freshmen accepted by three admission ways in 2020. RESULTS: The distribution of dental freshmen in 2020 did have a big urban-rural gap. These dental freshmen were more concentrated in municipalities than in non-municipalities in Taiwan. The execution of three admission ways did play a role in balancing the urban-rural gap in the distribution of dental freshmen. CONCLUSION: The urban-rural gap of the distribution of dental freshmen was not larger than that of dentists. The increased guaranteed enrollment quota of dental freshmen for the high school graduates in the offshore islands do cause unequal opportunities of admission to dental schools. If these extra-enrolled dentists do not return to their hometowns to practice, this may worsen the surplus of dentists and may fail to improve the uneven distribution of dentists in Taiwan.

Regional distributions of overall dentists and institutional dentists in Taiwan in 2019.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Taiwan is facing a huge urban-rural gap in the human resources of dentists between cities and counties. Although the postgraduate year training program for dentists (PGYD) was implemented in Taiwan in 2010, the uneven distribution of dentists is still a serious problem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distributions of overall dentists and dental training institutions and their dentists (so-called institutional dentists) in each city and county in 2019 to further analyze the regional distributions of overall dentists and institutional dentists in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study collected the numbers of dentists, dental training institutions, and institutional dentists in each city and county in 2019 for evaluating the regional distributions of dentists and institutional dentists in Taiwan. RESULTS: The numbers of dentists and institutional dentists in municipalities were significantly higher than those in non-municipalities in Taiwan, respectively. The coefficient of variation was greatest for dentists in the single-system institutions (1.72) and program-management institutions (1.87). The coefficients of correlation between the dentist index and institutional dentist index were R2 = 0.9805 (P < 0.001) for municipalities, R2 = 0.4523 (P < 0.01) for non-municipalities, and R2 = 0.7691 (P < 0.001) for nationwide. CONCLUSION: The dentist manpower and dental training institutions are concentrated in municipalities of Taiwan. The quantitative and qualitative improvement of collaborating institutions in the PGYD system may have an influence on the distribution of new-entry dentists and contribute to establishment of an effective regional dental health care service.

Distributions of dental freshmen and practicing dentists and their correlations in different regions of Taiwan in 2020.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Taiwan is facing the problems of the surplus, the uneven distribution, and the urban-rural gap of dental students and practicing dentists. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the distributions of dental freshmen and practicing dentists in different regions of Taiwan in 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected the numbers of dental freshmen and practicing dentists in different regions of Taiwan in 2020 for evaluation of their regional distributions in Taiwan and their relationship by the regression analysis. RESULTS: The numbers of dental freshmen and of practicing dentists per 100,000 people in municipalities were higher than those in non-municipalities (P < 0.01 for practicing dentists only). These corresponding numbers in cities with dental schools were significantly higher than those in cities and counties without dental schools, respectively (all P-values < 0.05). In addition, the coefficients of correlation between the dentist index and the dental student index were R2 = 0.7521 (P < 0.05) for municipalities (n = 6), R2 = 0.6332 (P < 0.001) for non-municipalities (n = 15), R2 = 0.9334 (P < 0.05) for cities with dental schools (n = 4), R2 = 0.4925 (P < 0.01) for cities and counties without dental schools (n = 17), and R2 = 0.5025 (P < 0.001) for nationwide (n = 21). CONCLUSION: The dental freshmen and practicing dentists are still more concentrated in municipalities than in non-municipalities and in cities with dental schools than in cities and counties without dental schools in Taiwan in 2020.

Distributions of dental freshmen enrolled by northern, central, and southern dental schools in each city or county and different regions of Taiwan in 2020.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: In Taiwan, the uneven distribution and the urban-rural gap of dentists are long-standing problems. Thus, the regional balance of domestic dental schools and their students are very important for the further distribution of practicing dentists. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the distributions of dental freshmen enrolled by dental schools of general universities in each city or county and different regions of Taiwan in 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study mainly collected the number of dental freshmen enrolled by the northern, central, and southern dental schools and further evaluated their distributions in each city or county and different regions of Taiwan in 2020. RESULTS: The distribution of dental freshmen in Taiwan in 2020 did have a regional imbalance. These dental freshmen were mainly concentrated in municipalities, cities with dental schools, and the northern region of Taiwan. The enrolled dental freshmen tended to choose a dental school which was in the same location as they grew up. We also found that the dental freshmen enrolled by the northern, central, and southern dental schools mostly came from the northern, the northern, and the southern regions of Taiwan, respectively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the dental freshmen are mainly concentrated in municipalities, cities with dental schools, and the northern region of Taiwan. Moreover, the dental freshmen enrolled by the northern or central dental schools mostly come from the northern region of Taiwan and those enrolled by the southern dental schools majorly come from the southern region of Taiwan.

The changes of the number and regional distribution of dentists and dental institutions 9 years after the implementation of postgraduate year training program for dentists in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: In Taiwan, there are three major dentist occupation problems: a surplus of dentists, an uneven regional distribution of dentists, and a concentration of dentists in the metropolitan areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distributions of the population and dentists in each city or county in 2001, 2010 and 2019 to further analyze the changes of regional distributions of dentists 9 years after the implementation of postgraduate year training program for dentists (PGYD) in 2010 in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study collected the data of population, the number of dentists in each city or county in 2001, 2010 and 2019, and the numbers of dentists and dental institutions from 2001 to 2019 for evaluating the changes of regional distributions of dentists 9 years after the PGYD implementation in Taiwan. RESULTS: Nine years after the PGYD implementation, the uneven distribution of dentists persisted. The number of dentists still increased and dentists were more concentrated in municipalities than in non-municipalities in Taiwan. Moreover, the number of dental institutions increased slowly, but dental institutions tended to become larger. CONCLUSION: Because the PGYD system is not mandatory, dentists choose their practice locations as driven by the market factors. The increase in the average number of dentists in dental institutions is also driven by the market factors. The market-driven movement of dentists to the people-concentrated municipalities finally persist the imbalance of dentist distribution in Taiwan. This situation also enables the development of large-scale dental institutions in municipalities in Taiwan.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dentist manpower in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The dentists are the high-risk group of infectious respiratory diseases during dental treatment. This study investigated the changes of the numbers of overall practicing dentists, dental clinics, and hospital dentists in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected the data of the numbers of overall practicing dentists, dental clinics, and hospital dentists in each city and county of Taiwan in October 2019, April 2020, and October 2020 for evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dentist manpower in Taiwan. RESULTS: After the COVID-19 outbreak, the total increased numbers of practicing dentists, dental clinics, and hospital dentists in Taiwan were 408, 14, and -16 from October 2019 to October 2020, respectively. In addition, their increased rates of the corresponding items were 2.76%, 0.21%, and -0.72%, respectively. The increased rate of practicing dentists from October 2019 to April 2020 was significantly higher than that of dental clinics (P < 0.001) and that of hospital dentists (P < 0.001). Moreover, the increased rate of practicing dentists from October 2019 to October 2020 was significantly higher than that of dental clinics (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased number of practicing dentists is not different from that in the past, but the increased numbers and rates of dental clinics and hospital dentists are lower than those in the past. This indicates that the willingness of dentists to open new dental clinics or work in hospitals reduces due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The status of hospital dentistry in Taiwan in October 2019.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Dental care has been officially incorporated into the hospital accreditation system in Taiwan since 2015. The geographical distribution of dentist manpower still remains in an unbalanced status as shown by the dentist-to-population ratio. This study tried to assess the dental manpower issue in terms of the status of hospital dentistry, and hence provided two organizational-level suggestions with their policy implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized the secondary data analysis to evaluate the dental manpower in dental departments of medical centers, regional hospitals, and district hospitals in different regions of Taiwan in October 2019. RESULTS: Our results found that the dental manpower including the numbers of general dentists and dental specialists was highest in medical centers, followed by regional hospitals and district hospitals. Moreover, the dental resources and manpower were mostly concentrated in the northern region of Taiwan, followed by the central and southern regions of Taiwan, the eastern region of Taiwan, and offshore islands. CONCLUSION: The hospital dentistry in Taiwan develops toward large-scale and specialization. Both hospital general dentists and dental specialists are concentrated in the medical centers, especially the medical centers in the northern region of Taiwan, indicating the problem of oversupply in the northern Taiwan and unbalanced distribution of dentists among the regions in Taiwan. Therefore, the responsibilities of the hospitals in metropolitan areas are to develop the elderly and disabled dentistry and to assist with oral health promotion and oral disease prevention in remote areas to reduce the urban-rural gap in dental resources in Taiwan.

Does postgraduate year training program for dentists worsen the imbalance of geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Taiwan implemented the non-compulsory postgraduate year training program for dentists (PGYD) in 2010. Previous studies found that training institutions for dentists are mostly distributed in metropolitan areas. This study explored whether the PGYD system might worsen the imbalance of geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study collected the data of population, the number of practicing dentists from 2010 to 2018, and the number of practicing dentists in the training institutions in 2018 to draw the Lorenz curve and to calculate the Gini coefficient for evaluating whether the PGYD system might worsen the imbalance of geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan. RESULTS: Our results showed that the uneven geographical distribution of overall practicing dentists did not deteriorate after the implementation of the PGYD system. However, the uneven geographical distribution of practicing dentists in training institutions was more serious than the uneven geographical distribution of overall practicing dentists. CONCLUSION: Because the PGYD system is not mandatory, dentists engage in training program and select training institutions as driven by the market factors. After completion of the PGYD training, dentists choose the practice location as driven by the market factors again and this in turn redistributes the dentists to different regions of Taiwan. In addition, major dentist policies may also result in the movement of dentists to various regions of Taiwan. Thus, the market-driven redistribution of dentists to different regions of Taiwan finally reduces the imbalance of geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan caused by the PGYD system.

Imbalance in the geographical distribution of practicing dentists in postgraduate dental training institutions in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Postgraduate year training program for dentists (PGYD) in Taiwan started since 2010. This study tried to assess the geographical distribution of practicing dentists in postgraduate dental training institutions in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized the secondary data analysis to measure and compare the numbers of practicing dentists in each type of dental training institution and the numbers of overall practicing dentists among different cities and counties in Taiwan. RESULTS: Our results found that the practicing dentists in each type of dental training institution showed a significantly greater imbalance in geographical distribution than the overall practicing dentists. It meant that the practicing dentists in postgraduate dental training institutions were more concentrated in northern part of Taiwan than in other parts of Taiwan, compared to the number of overall practicing dentists in different cities or counties in Taiwan. However, the disparities in the number of practicing dentists in dental training institutions could be compensated by cross-regional collaborating institutions under the joint training group system. CONCLUSION: Because continuation of the current PGYD system may accelerate the imbalance in geographical distribution of practicing dentists in dental training institutions in Taiwan. To prevent this, further studies on yearly changes in the geographical distribution of dentists in postgraduate dental training institutions by city or county should be taken to monitor whether we should further modify the currently used PGYD system toward a better one to solve the problem of imbalance in the geographical distribution of dentists in postgraduate dental training institutions in Taiwan.

Dentist manpower development and geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The development of dentists in Taiwan has been over a century. This study tried to explore the dentist manpower development and the current status of geographical distribution of dentists in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used the secondary data analysis to survey the changes of total dentist number from 1986 to 2018 and the geographic distribution of dentists in different levels of dental institutions in 2019. RESULTS: The total number of dentists increased from 3739 in 1986 to 14,717 in 2018. The total number of hospital dentists increased from 809 in 1986 to 2121 in 2018. However, the proportion of hospital dentists in the total number of dentists decreased from 21.64% in 1986 to 14.41% in 2018. On the contrary, the total number of dental clinic dentists increased from 2930 in 1986 to 12,596 in 2018. The proportion of dental clinic dentists in the total number of dentists increased from 78.36% in 1986 to 85.59% in 2018. The northern region of Taiwan and Taipei City had 52.81% (7829/14,825) and 22.29% (3304/14,825) of the total number of dentists in 2019, respectively. Hospital dentists showed a significantly greater imbalance in geographic distribution than overall dentists. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that Taiwan has the problems of oversupply of dentists and imbalance in geographical distribution of dentists. Because continuation of the current dentist manpower development may accelerate the oversupply and geographical imbalance of dentists, a mechanism for controlling the total dentist manpower should be implemented to prevent the deterioration of the problems.

Current practice patterns and training project of oral pathology specialists in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: There were 70 oral pathology specialists (OPSs) in Taiwan till 2018. This study reported the current practice patterns and training project of OPSs in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study exploited the secondary data analysis and interview to survey the current practice patterns and training project of OPSs in Taiwan. RESULTS: Of the 70 OPSs, 8 practiced both anatomical oral pathology (oral histopathological diagnosis) and clinical oral pathology (oral medicine), 8 practiced both general pathology (majorly) and anatomical oral pathology (minorly), 5 practiced oral medicine only, 30 practiced general dentistry or other dental divisions, 11 did teaching or researching, and 8 had retired. There were 9 OPS training hospitals (8 medical centers and one regional hospital) that had 23 OPSs and a training capacity of 11 dentists. Of the 9 OPS training hospitals in Taiwan in 2019, 5 were located in the northern, one in central, two in southern, and one in eastern region. Moreover, we found none of the dentists applying for the OPS training program and the number of OPSs did not increase along with the population and the number of the dentists in recent two years. CONCLUSION: Only 8 OPSs practice both anatomical oral pathology and oral medicine in Taiwan and the manpower of the OPSs in Taiwan faces a severe problem of shortage. We suggest that the government should build a long-term budget to subsidize young OPSs and those dentists who enter the OPS training program to resolve this OPS shortage problem.