Dental Public Health Education in Europe: a survey of European Dental Schools to determine current practice and inform a core undergraduate programme.

OBJECTIVE: Describe current Dental Public Health [DPH] curricula content and delivery across European dental schools and ascertain views on a core undergraduate curriculum for dental students. RESEARCH DESIGN: Survey of European dental schools, informed by professional and academic literature and European Association for Dental Public Health [EADPH] Special Interest Working Group discussions. Questionnaires were distributed electronically, by post, and via EADPH network members, to the Deans of 252 dental schools in Europe. E-mail reminders were sent to non-responders. SETTING: European Dental Schools. RESULTS: Around half (n=124, 49%) out of a possible 252 schools responded, all of which reported having some DPH education. Two-thirds reported having a dedicated DPH department. Education was delivered by a variety of staff including those trained in paediatric and preventive dentistry. There were differing degrees of integration within the undergraduate programme and substantial variability in topics, teaching methods and approaches to assessment. Key components of the curriculum supported by respondents were: DPH philosophy and approach, population demography and health, health promotion and disease prevention, health care systems, the dental workforce and planning for health and oral health. Respondents were generally in favour of improving current teaching and shaping a core DPH curriculum for Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst those who completed the questionnaire, there was a general agreement on the need for a core Dental Public Health curriculum for European dentists. Given the variation across Europe, increased awareness and prioritisation of the subject is required, facilitated by collaborative support.

[Israeli dental school dropout, a 13-year retrospective survey].

Admission policies for higher education are aimed at achieving efficient allocation of resources for both faculty and students, in an attempt to minimize dropout. Methods: The characteristics of dropout students at the School of Dental Medicine at the Hebrew University from 2001 to 2013 were assessed in a retrospective study. Data were collected from dental school records, followed by an online questionnaire Results: Between 2001 and 2013, 268 out of 925 students left and did not return the following year, reflecting a dropout rate of 29%. A total 98 dropouts responded to the survey. The academic achievements of the dropouts were higher than average. The primary reason for quitting dental school was attraction to a different professional field (70%) and lack of interest in dentistry (11%). Almost all the dropouts left in the first three years: 80% of them transferred to medical school, 17% transferred to a profession other than medicine, and 4% continued their dental studies in another institution. Conclusion: Dropout was clearly not due to academic reasons, but rather attributable to pursuit of medical studies. The present findings imply that the admission process failed to identify students who do not intend to graduate. It is likely that changing the structure of the program by admitting students only to a 3 to 4 year program of dental school, following pre-med studies, may have a positive effect on reducing the dropout rate.

[Community dentistry in practice: four decades of activity among the Ethiopian community].

The immigration absorption of the Ethiopian community poses a great Zionist challenge to the State of Israel. The Department of Community Dentistry established a long and ongoing relationship with this unique population on a variety of levels. We revealed an alarming deterioration of their oral health status since their arrival to Israel. Concurrently, we explored the association between oral health and psychosocial variables among these immigrants. Accordingly, we implemented a holistic community oral health care program (prevention, treatment, dental, medical, social, psychological), with the participation of a multidisciplinary team of Ethiopian born professionals. In addition, as part of the integration process in the Israeli society and workplace, our department educated and trained individuals of this community as dental assistants and dental hygienists in courses held at the Hadassah Medical Organization. We strongly believe that this model of relationship and support should be implemented on a national level.

Changing dental caries levels in the 1980's, 1990's and 2005 among children of a Jerusalem region.

OBJECTIVE: To study caries levels and related variables among first grade and fourth grade schoolchildren in one Jerusalem geographic region in 2005, and possible changes in caries levels over three decades: the 1980s, 1990s and finally in 2005. METHODS: Dental caries was examined, within schools, employing the DMFS and defs indices, for permanent and deciduous teeth respectively. RESULTS: Data indicate a consistent decline in disease: a reduction from 1.64 to 0.32 to 0.16 for DMFS, and 13.95 to 8.09 to 5.07 for defs (1983, 1992, 2005, respectively), among first grade children; and from 3.50 to 2.50 to 1.07 for DMFS, and 13.88 to 7.26 to 4.16 for defs, (1983, 1992, 2005, respectively), among fourth grade children. CONCLUSIONS: A consistent decrease in caries has been detected over three decades. Specific causal factors were not ascertained.

The effects of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) on brain structure and function.

There is an increasing use of "Novel Psychoactive Substances" containing synthetic cannabinoids worldwide. Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are highly addictive and cause severe adverse effects. The purpose of our study was to assess whether chronic use of SC alters brain volume and function. Fifteen SC chronic users and 15 healthy control participants undertook an MRI scan to assess brain volume and function while performing a working memory N-back task and a response-inhibition Go-No-Go task. SC users showed impaired performance on the N-back task but not on the Go-No-Go task. They also showed reduced total gray matter volume compared with control participants, as well as reduced gray matter volume in several cortical regions including the middle frontal gyrus, frontal orbital gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus. Moreover, SC users showed diminished brain activations in the precuneus, cuneus, lingual gyrus, hippocampus and cerebellum while performing the N-back task. No differences were found in brain activation while performing the response-inhibition task. This is the first study showing overall reduced grey matter volume and specific reduced grey matter volumes in chronic SC users. Furthermore, this study showed for the first time impairment in the neural brain mechanisms responsible for working memory in SC users. Our results of reduced grey matter density and diminished activation during a working memory task in SC users, may suggest vulnerability of the frontal-parietal network in chronic SC users.