Journal of dental education
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The status of instruction in interpersonal communication was surveyed in forty U. S and Canadian dental schools. Key faculty members were identified, and syllabi and course descriptions were collected and content-analyzed. ⋯ Some could not identify a faculty member responsible for such instruction. Schools offering more extensive instruction were more likely to offer active rather than passive teaching and use more sophisticated student evaluation strategies. This research suggests a need for reevaluation of teaching in this subject area.
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In conjunction with its problem-based learning curriculum, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) developed a shortened preclinical restorative training curriculum. This study compared our curriculum with those in other dental schools and examined student reaction to it. Twenty-nine U. ⋯ The average National Board Part II scores prior to initiating the new curriculum was 86.3, and afterwards, it was 86.2. Further, for the North East Regional Board, HSDM students in the past four years demonstrated a 98 percent overall success rate with 100 percent primary pass in the operative dentistry part of the examination. These results suggest that an abbreviated preclinical training is not only possible, but may make time available for training opportunities in other areas, such as aesthetic dental procedures and new biomaterials.
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The prevalence of distance education is steadily increasing in institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad. Colleges and universities are seeking new avenues to deliver curricula to students in remote areas and/or to nontraditional students. Distance education is a relatively new venture for dental hygiene education. ⋯ Thirty of the thirty-eight dental hygiene programs that responded to the survey reported that they were satisfied with their distance education initiatives. The length of time that distance education was offered by the dental hygiene program was not related to satisfaction level (p = .0795), and there was no relationship between the type of distance education used and satisfaction level (p > .05). Considering all factors involved in this study, we can conclude that distance education is being used in a substantial number of dental hygiene programs and that the majority of these programs are satisfied that distance education is an adequate alternative to traditional "brick and mortar" approaches.
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Tobacco use is the chief avoidable cause of morbidity and mortality in North America and is associated with increased risk for oral cancer and increased prevalence and severity of periodontitis and other oral conditions. By delivering two- to three-minute tobacco-use cessation counseling (TUCC), oral health professionals can achieve quit rates substantially higher than the spontaneous quit rate. However, many clinicians report lack of training and knowledge in TUCC as barriers to providing cessation counseling. ⋯ A pre- and post-program telephone interview of tobacco-using patients assessed TUCC intervention by students. A significantly greater proportion of patients received TUCC post-program compared to pre-program in terms of consequences associated with tobacco use as well as advice to quit. A comprehensive TUCC program resulted in an improvement of 11.7 percent for consequences and 23 percent for advice to quit.
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This paper reviews five randomized controlled trials of brief spit (smokeless) tobacco (ST) cessation treatment by dental professionals consisting of oral cancer screening, cessation advice, self-help materials, and brief cessation counseling by a dental hygienist. In addition, original two-year findings from a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of a dental-directed, peer-assisted ST intervention among high school baseball athletes in rural California (n=1084) are reported. ⋯ The evidence presented supports the efficacy of oral screening and brief cessation counseling by dental professionals to promote ST cessation in the dental office or in athletic facilities. In addition, recommendations for policy and future research are presented.