Journal of dental education
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The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of emergencies in dental practices and the prepared-ness and the training experience in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of Brazilian dentists in dealing with emergencies. The volunteer participants in the study were 498 Brazilian dentists who were present at the 27th International Congress of Dentistry in São Paulo. The most prevalent emergency was presyncope (reported by 54.20 percent of respondents), followed by orthostatic hypotension (44.37 percent), moderate allergic reactions (16.86 percent), hypertensive crisis (15.06 percent), asthma (15.06 percent), syncope (12.65 percent), angina (6.82 percent), convulsion (6.22 percent), hypoglycemia (5.62 percent), hyperventilation crisis (5.22 percent), choking (2.20 percent), and cerebrovascular accident (0.8 percent). ⋯ It was concluded that the most prevalent medical emergencies in dental practice of Brazilian dentists are presyncope and orthostatic hypotension. The occurrence of life-threatening medical emergencies like anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and cerebrovascular accident is rare. Brazilian dentists are not fully prepared to manage medical emergencies and have insufficient experience training in CPR.
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This 2009 study of dental school curricula follows a similar one conducted in 2002-03. Through a web-based survey, the authors gathered information from dental schools about 1) past trends in curricular change over seven years; 2) current changes under way in dental school curricula; 3) significant challenges to curricular innovation; and 4) projected future trends in curricular change and innovation. Fifty-five schools (fifty U. ⋯ There was an increase in the percentage of schools with interdisciplinary courses, especially in the basic sciences since 2002-03, but no change in the use of problem-based and case-reinforced learning in dental curricula. Respondents reported that priorities for future curriculum modification included creating interdisciplinary curricula that are organized around themes, blending the basic and clinical sciences, provision of some elements of core curricula in an online format, developing new techniques for assessing competency, and increasing collaborations with other health professions schools. Respondents identified training for new faculty members in teaching skills, curriculum design, and assessment methods as the most critical need to support future innovation.
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The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children have their first dental visit no later than age one. However, not all dental schools have made hands-on infant oral health programs a reality in their predoctoral programs. To target high-caries risk infants/toddlers and provide dental students more hands-on experience with this age group, the University of Iowa Department of Pediatric Dentistry established an Infant Oral Health Program (IOHP) affiliated with the local Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic. ⋯ More than 600 fourth-year dental students received hands-on experience providing preventive dental care for infants and toddlers. A 2004 survey of dentists who graduated from the University of Iowa suggested that those who rotated at the IOHP while in dental school were more willing to see very young children when compared to dentists who did not rotate at the IOHP. These findings suggest that community-based IOHPs can provide an important community resource for preventive dental care for high-caries risk young children, while complementing the pediatric dental experience in a dental school curriculum.
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The University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine has operated a community-based dental education program for all of its students since 1985. A database of student productivity has been maintained in a standardized format, capable of multiyear compilation, since 1994. This study utilizes twelve years of these data to profile the type and amount of clinical treatment that can be provided by a typical fourth-year dental student during a 100-day community-based training experience. ⋯ Self-assessed competency ratings tended to increase after completing the program, as did willingness to treat underserved populations after graduation. About 16 percent of graduates reported planning to practice in the public sector after completing dental school. A community-based experience such as this appears to offer an opportunity to substantially augment dental students' clinical training experiences.
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This report describes participants' assessment of their experiences in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute program. The ADEA Leadership Institute is designed for mid-career faculty members who desire to attain administrative roles within their own or other institutions or enhance their effectiveness in these roles. This year-long program, conducted in four phases, is ADEA's flagship career enhancement program and provides dental educators with perspectives about oral health policy and legislation, organization and financing of higher education, the dental school's role within the parent institution, financial management, legal issues, recruiting faculty, and opportunities to acquire and practice skills associated with effective leadership. ⋯ Additions to the current curriculum (30 percent)-such as how to recruit and retain faculty-and advanced leadership training (15 percent)-including behavioral change theory-topped the improvement list. The results of this study indicate that the ADEA Leadership Institute is fulfilling its mission. Fellows are advancing in their careers and assuming administrative leadership roles within their home institutions while making scholarly contributions to the literature and undertaking leadership positions in ADEA.