Journal of dental education
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The purpose of this article is to discuss how traditional dental school curricula are inconsistent with research in how learners learn. In the last ten years, there has been considerable discussion about the need for dental education reform, and innovative changes have occurred in the curricula of a number of U. S. dental schools. ⋯ Moreover, there has been little discussion in the dental literature about how modern theories of learning can provide a sound rationale for change in dental education. Thus, it is important for those involved in curriculum reform to present the rationale for change based on the best available evidence. In this review, we summarize aspects of research on learning that seem applicable to dental education and outline ways in which curricula might be changed to become more consistent with the evidence.
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The American Heart Association reports that approximately 220,000 people die each year of sudden cardiac arrest. In ventricular fibrillation (VF), the most common abnormal heart rhythm that causes cardiac arrest, the heart's electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic, often without warning. Death will follow within minutes if the victim is not treated appropriately, and the only known treatment is defibrillation. ⋯ With the increased likelihood of dealing with a cardiac emergency in the dental office setting and the willingness of dental professionals to use an AED, all dental offices should consider obtaining an AED. Dental educators should become familiar with current protocols for handling cardiac medical emergencies in the dental office and prepare dental and dental hygiene students with the skills necessary to manage patients with cardiac emergencies. Graduating dental students entering private practice may want to consider the AED as part of their medical emergency office protocol.
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Dental educators have been trying to increase enrollment of underrepresented minority (URM) students for many years with limited success. The Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education program has developed or been affiliated with several innovative strategies for increasing the enrollment of URM students in U. S. dental schools. In March 2005, three promising approaches were discussed at an American Dental Education Association symposium and are described in this article: 1) collaborative recruitment programs based on groups of regional schools; 2) workshops that focus on the effective operation of admissions committees; and 3) a new summer enrichment program for college students interested in dentistry and medicine.
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The aim of this article is to describe the innovations in the School of Stomatology at Wuhan University (WHUSS) that are likely to shape the future of dental education in the People's Republic of China. There are forty dental schools in China; the five most well known are located in Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Wuhan. Although patient-centered, comprehensive care has been recommended as the future of dental education, traditional dental education in China still faces many challenges to accomplish this goal. ⋯ Although implementation of educational innovations is still at an early stage throughout China, it is reasonable to speculate that many schools will develop similar strategies as those developed at Wuhan to improve dental education during the next several years. However, additional research is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of such educational strategies and to determine the appropriate implementation of a contemporary dental curriculum and pedagogic methodology. The curriculum modifications that have been achieved to date as well as the existing challenges are discussed to provide the reader with an understanding of contemporary dental education in China.
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The nature of comments faculty members make about students' clinical performance and the relationship between comments and numerical scores given at the same time have not been studied in dental education. We developed a coding system for comments volunteered by faculty members to supplement the numerical ratings given as part of an established clinical competency evaluation system. Twenty-two hundred coded comments and their matched numerical ratings from more than 100 faculty members were compared for two classes of 146 and 157 students for four quarters. ⋯ Significant bidirectional associations were observed between comments (positive or negative) and numerical ratings in the area of patient interactions. For technical procedures and for interactions with faculty and the clinic, including professional demeanor, significant unidirectional associations predominated. The findings suggest that faculty members assume that students are skilled in these areas and tend to comment when their expectations are not fulfilled.