Journal of dental education
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This paper presents the results of four telephone surveys conducted by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI), University of Pennsylvania, as part of its evaluation of the Pew National Dental Education Program (PNDEP), a five year, +4F8.7 million program established by The Pew Charitable Trusts to help dental schools respond to the changing health care environment. The four annual surveys were conducted between 1985 and 1988. The interviews were conducted with the deans from nearly all dental schools operating in the United States at the time of study or the principal investigators of the schools funded under Phase I and Phase II PNDEP grants. ⋯ Schools also reported increased participation in and commitment to planning among their different constituencies (e.g., faculty, administration, students, alumni). By the end of Phase I, more PNDEP Phase I funded schools reported being involved in implementing strategic plans. Funded schools also were more likely to report PNDEP increased their understanding of strategic planning, improved communication, and helped encourage the emergence of new leaders.
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Tobacco-related health problems are the most preventable forms of illness in the United States. By assuming proactive tobacco use cessation counseling roles, dentists and dental hygienists can help reduce the number of people who currently use tobacco. The literature reports that many oral health professionals feel unprepared to assume such roles. ⋯ Variables addressed included allocated hours, subject content, scope, department responsible, workplace smoking policy, importance, and future curricular directions. Questionnaires were mailed to all dental hygiene program directors and dental school academic deans. Study findings suggest that dental and dental hygiene students receive limited tobacco use cessation education, and respondent schools have no immediate plans for curriculum change in this area.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Schools of dentistry that continue to conduct predoctoral dental education programs were surveyed to determine the status of full-time faculty and permit a comparison to responses made in 1980 to the identical survey. The response rate was 72.7 percent and included a representative distribution of schools. Since 1980, there has been a decrease in the number of full-time clinical faculty while at the same time the proportion of clinical faculty with tenure has increased. ⋯ The mean age of faculty has not changed appreciably due primarily to early retirement, and the five-year turnover rate remains relatively constant at 33 percent. Dental schools, at least as reflected in the tenure review process, would appear to be imposing more stringent expectations for scholarship. This finding, coupled with the growing concern that in the future there will be a shortage of adequately trained clinical faculty capable of entering the mainstream of biomedical or behavioral research within academic health centers poses a challenge for all concerned with the viability of dental faculties.