Journal of dental education
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This article presents a novel virtual teeth drilling system designed to aid dentists, dental students, and researchers in getting acquainted with teeth anatomy, the handling of drilling instruments, and the challenges associated with drilling procedures during endodontic therapy. The system is designed to be used for educational and research purposes in dental schools. The application features a 3D face and oral cavity model constructed using anatomical data that can be adapted to the characteristics of a specific patient using either facial photographs or 3D data. ⋯ Virtual drilling using a Phantom Desktop (Sensable Technologies Inc., Woburn, MA) force feedback haptic device is performed within the oral cavity on 3D volumetric and surface models of teeth, obtained from serial cross sections of natural teeth. Final results and intermediate steps of the drilling procedure can be saved on a file for future use. The application has the potential to be a very promising educational and research tool that allows the user to practice virtual teeth drilling for endodontic cavity preparation or other related procedures on high-detail teeth models placed within an adaptable and animated 3D face and oral cavity model.
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This study explores the little-understood process of evaluating the performance of assistant and associate deans at dental colleges in the United States and Canada. Specifically, this research aimed to identify the methods, processes, and outcomes related to the performance appraisals of assistant/associate deans. Both deans and assistant/associate deans were surveyed. ⋯ Qualitative data revealed definite opinions about what constitutes effective and ineffective appraisals, including the use of goal-setting, timeliness, and necessary commitment. Several critical issues related to the results are discussed: differences in perspectives on performance reviews, the importance of informal feedback and job descriptions, the influence of an assistant/associate deans' lack of tenure, and the length of service of deans. Lastly, recommendations for enhancing performance evaluations are offered.
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The Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program (ADCFP) was established in 2006 by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) with the financial support of the ADA Foundation to encourage dental students to consider careers in dental education and to provide participating fellows with insights into academic life. The ADA Foundation provided funding during the 2006-07 academic year for eleven dental student fellows, who were paired with faculty mentors at their respective schools. Fellows and mentors attended a two-day retreat in the summer of 2006, and over the course of the subsequent year in dental school, the fellows with guidance from their mentors participated in preclinical laboratory, classroom, small-group, and clinical teaching experiences; designed and implemented a research project; developed a philosophy of education; completed career reflection essays; assembled a portfolio to represent their ADCFP activities and projects; conducted a series of interviews with faculty designed to expose students to roles, issues, and career paths in academic dentistry; and presented a synopsis of their experiences at the ADEA Annual Session in New Orleans in March 2007. ⋯ Fellows reported positive experiences and an increased interest in and understanding of academic careers. Mentors also evaluated the ADCFP positively and reported enhancements in their mentoring skills. This article describes the goals and format of the ADCFP, summarizes program evaluation data elicited from the fellows and mentors, and proposes recommendations for future fellowship classes.
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The oral health of children became a more prominent concern with the U. S. surgeon general's report on oral health in America in 2000. The purpose of our study was 1) to assess General Practice Residency (GPR) and Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) (here jointly referred to as advanced general dentistry [AGD] programs) directors' current behaviors with regard to pediatric training of residents and 2) to assess their attitudes about which components of pediatric oral health training should be included in AGD programs. ⋯ Although clinical training in pediatric treatment was high, didactic hours focused on pediatric treatment did not seem commensurate with clinical activity. Program directors indicated strong attitudinal support for teaching residents many components of pediatric oral health care, although most directors have concerns over increasing didactic hours spent on pediatric oral health due to already crowded curricula. Approximately 88 percent of directors said that they would implement a pediatric oral health module in their curricula if they had access to one.
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The annual turnover of dental school faculty creates a varying number of vacant budgeted positions at any given time. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) conducts an annual survey to determine the status and characteristics of these vacant faculty positions. In addition, ADEA conducts an annual survey of dental educators to maintain a database on the size and characteristics of dental school faculty, including data on the distribution of full-time, part-time, and volunteer faculty, reasons for faculty separations, and sources of new faculty. ⋯ Following this peak, the number of vacancies declined, falling to 275 in 2004-05. Since that time, there has been a rapid increase in the number of estimated vacancies, reaching 417 in 2005-06, then falling slightly to 406 in 2006-07. The 2005-06 and 2006-07 faculty vacancies surveys explore these increases, along with information relevant to trends in the faculty workforce, factors influencing faculty vacancies, and the impact of vacant positions on dental schools.