Journal of dental education
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The Office of Professional Development at The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center Dental Branch was established in November 1996 in order to meet the professional development needs of the faculty, staff, and administration. Although other dental schools share similar needs, our research revealed no study to determine how dental schools managed their faculty development needs. Therefore, a preliminary survey to collect data about offices similar to ours was developed and sent to the deans of fifty-four U. ⋯ The respondents were asked to indicate 1) which entity within the school was primarily responsible for handling faculty development, and 2) which entity actually sponsored each of eighteen faculty development activities. With a response from thirty-three U. S. schools (61 percent) and six Canadian schools (60 percent), six administrative structures (models) for faculty development were identified: 1) Office of Academic Affairs, 2) Departmental Chair, 3) a Faculty Development Committee, 4) an Office of the Dean, 5) an Office of Faculty/Professional Development, and 6) Other Resources.
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The importance of promoting ethical behavior in dental students is reflected in the emphasis on formal ethics teaching within the curricula of most dental schools. Over the last three decades, dental educators have addressed the need for ethics training and examined varied teaching approaches. ⋯ This paper provides an overview of trends in ethics teaching in dental schools and the current teaching approaches advocated in health science schools. In addition, future needs in dental ethics education are explored including the importance of addressing the unique aspects of the dental education environment.