bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reflections on changes in geriatric dentistry
Authors: Ettinger RL , Watkins C , Cowen H
Published: June 2020

The development of geriatric dental education programs in the United States and at the University of Iowa over the last twenty years is reviewed. The program at Iowa evolved from a didactic elective program taught by a single faculty person to required didactic and clinical programs that include a special care clinic in the dental school and a mobile unit with portable equipment serving ten area nursing homes with comprehensive care. Factors influencing the curriculum development are identified and discussed, and as no dental schools are the same, some general applications are suggested from the Iowa experience.
The UCSF post‐baccalaureate reapplication program: a preliminary report
Authors: Brody HA , Alexander CA
Published: June 2020

The University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry initiated a pilot project in 1998 to assist economically and/or educationally disadvantaged students to gain admission to dental school. Students entering the program have completed the requirements for admission to dental school, have applied, and been denied admission, and have expressed a desire to care for underserved populations. The program features a summer preparation course for the Dental Admission Test (DAT), learning skill workshops, seminars, and assistance in the reapplication process. The students participate in clinical clerkships and during the fall and spring semesters are enrolled in upper‐division and graduate‐level science courses at a local university. Five students participated in the pilot project in 1998; they were admitted in 1999 and have successfully completed the first year of dental school. The sixteen students enrolled in 1999 have now been admitted to one or more dental schools. Fourteen students are currently enrolled in the 2000/2001 academic year program.
A comparison of Web page and slide/tape for instruction in periapical and panoramic radiographic anatomy
Authors: Ludlow JB , Platin E
Published: June 2020

Self‐guided slide/tape (ST) and web page (WP) instruction in normal radiographic anatomy of periapical and panoramic images is compared using objective test performance and subjective preference of freshman dental students. A class of seventy‐four students was divided into a group studying anatomy in periapical images using WP and a group studying similar ST material. In a modified cross‐over design the groups switched presentation technologies to learn anatomy in panoramic images. Students completed self‐administered on‐line quizzes covering WP materials and conventional quizzes for ST material. Students also completed a voluntary survey. Mean quiz performance identifying matched anatomic features in PA (n = 26) and panoramic images (n = 35) was excellent (96.9%) and not different between image types (p = 0.12) or presentation technologies (p = 0.81). Students preferred WP for accessibility, ease of use, freedom of navigation, and image quality (p < .01). Student comfort level with the quiz formats of the two technologies was not different (p = 0.11). Students experienced a higher rate of mechanical and logistical problems with ST than with WP technology. While 71 percent of the students preferred WP technology, this preference appears to be related to ease of use and facilitation of flexible learning styles rather than improved didactic performance.
A cognitive task analysis for dental hygiene
Authors: Cameron CA , Beemsterboer PL , Johnson LA , Mislevy RJ , Steinberg LS , Breyer FJ
Published: June 2020

To be an effective assessment tool, a simulation‐based examination must be able to evoke and interpret observable evidence about targeted knowledge, strategies, and skills in a manner that is logical and defensible. Dental Interactive Simulations Corporation's first assessment effort is the development of a scoring algorithm for a simulation‐based dental hygiene initial licensure examination. The first phase in developing a scoring system is the completion of a cognitive task analysis (CTA) of the dental hygiene domain. In the first step of the CTA, a specifications map was generated to provide a framework of the tasks and knowledge that are important to the practice of dental hygiene. Using this framework, broad classes of behaviors that would tend to distinguish along the dental hygiene expert‐novice continuum were identified. Nine paper‐based cases were then designed with the expectation that the solutions of expert, competent, and novice dental hygienists would differ. Interviews were conducted with thirty‐one dental hygiene students/practitioners to capture solutions to the paper‐based cases. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed to identify performance features that distinguish among the interviewees on the basis of their expertise. These features were more detailed and empirically grounded than the originating broad classes and better serve to ground the design of a scoring system. The resulting performance features were collapsed into nine major categories: 1) gathering and using information, 2) formulating problems and investigating hypotheses, 3) communication and language, 4) scripting behavior, 5) ethics, 6) patient assessment, 7) treatment planning, 8) treatment, and 9) evaluation. The results of the CTA provide critical information for defining the necessary elements of a simulation‐based dental hygiene examination.
Dental students' attitudes toward smoking cessation guidelines
Authors: Yip JK , Hay JL , Ostroff JS , Stewart RK , Cruz GD
Published: June 2020

Dentists can be effective in helping their patients achieve smoking cessation. To plan a didactic program, we explored the smoking cessation attitudes and practices of dental students and identified barriers to service provision in the dental setting. We assessed 244 fourth‐year dental students at New York University College of Dentistry through a self‐report survey. The instrument included a twenty‐nine‐item measure assessing attitudes towards tobacco‐use counseling and adherence to National Cancer Institute tobacco cessation guidelines. The survey also assessed demographics, tobacco use history, and level of preparation to provide services. Generally, students endorsed tobacco prevention practices, but perceived barriers to service provision. Students provided counseling inconsistently, with 69 percent asking about smoking, 58 percent advising cessation, 24 percent offering assistance, and 22 percent providing followup on a routine basis. Those who provided more counseling were more likely to have undergone formal training in smoking cessation, did not feel time was a barrier to counseling, and had more favorable beliefs about dentists' role in promoting smoking cessation. Study findings indicate great receptivity among students as well as a critical need and opportunity to include comprehensive cessation counseling training in the dental curriculum.
Sugar Consumption and Caries Risk: A Systematic Review
Authors: Burt Brian A. , Pai Satishchandra
Published: June 2020

This systematic review addresses the question: In the modern age of extensive fluoride exposure, do individuals with a high level of sugar intake experience greater caries severity relative to those with a lower level of intake? The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for English‐language papers published between 1980 and 2000 using a search expression developed in conjunction with an experienced librarian. There were 809 papers located in the initial search. A review of titles and abstracts to identify clearly irrelevant papers reduced this number to 134. Two readers each read one half of these papers, and application of predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria reduced this number of papers to sixty‐nine. Criteria were established for scoring the quality of each of these papers on evidence tables. The maximum score for each paper was 100; the sixty‐nine papers rated scored between 12 and 79. Final judgment of results was limited to those thirty‐six papers that scored 55 or higher on the evidence tables and that reported studies carried out in countries where there is moderate‐to‐extensive fluoride exposure. Results showed that only two papers found a strong relationship between sugar consumption and caries development, sixteen found a moderate relationship, and eighteen found weak‐to‐no relationship. It was concluded that the relationship between sugar consumption and caries is much weaker in the modern age of fluoride exposure than it used to be. Controlling the consumption of sugar remains a justifiable part of caries prevention, however, if not always the most important aspect.
Pit and Fissure Sealants in High‐Caries‐Risk Individuals
Authors: Weintraub Jane A.
Published: June 2020

This paper examines the evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of sealants in high‐caries‐risk children and discusses the Research Triangle Institute/University of North Carolina's (RTI/UNC) systematic review. The strict RTI/UNC protocol limited the number of sealant studies that could be included. This analysis expanded their criteria to permit additional methods of determining caries risk (for example, past caries experience, less than two pairs of sound first permanent molars available/child in half‐mouth designs) and outcome measures in addition to DMFS (that is, percent sealant retention, survival rates, cost‐effectiveness, changes in salivary S. mutans levels). Nine clinical studies with a randomized, half‐mouth, clinical trial design and seven studies with observational study designs were included. There is good evidence that sealants can be used efficaciously and effectively in high‐risk children as long as the sealant is retained. Sealants are more effective in preventing further caries and providing cost savings in a shorter time span if placed in children who have high rather than low caries risk.
The Impact of Behavioral Technology on Dental Caries
Authors: Milgrom Peter
Published: June 2020

Models of self‐regulation of patient adherence to specific health promotion recommendations by professionals are available and have been shown effective in changing behavior. However, it is a fundamental misspecification of the caries prevention problem to look to techniques that affect the regulation of individual behavior to directly impact dental caries. Behavioral techniques are used to enhance the probability an individual will initiate, increase, or maintain the use of established caries reduction/control strategies or cease or decrease behaviors that increase caries. Behavioral techniques can also be used to affect parental behavior in a cascade of effects that can eventually lead to healthier children. Studies are needed where behavior‐ally oriented caries prevention actions are thought of as manipulating self‐regulatory behavior and the focus of action is either on the individual or on another, such as a parent. A third category of studies should center on provider competency. Studies are recommended in each of these areas.
Clinical Decision‐Making for Dental Caries Management
Authors: White B. Alex , Maupomé Gerardo
Published: June 2020

Scientific information on diagnosis, prevention, and management of dental caries and associated indicators of risk continues to increase rapidly. Patients vary in clinically important ways, however, and uncertainty affects our understanding of risk; diagnostic and prognostic information; efficacy and effectiveness of many preventive, diagnostic, and treatment alternatives; and outcomes associated with clinical strategies. Consequently, challenges abound for clinicians to identify, evaluate, and incorporate new information, patient preferences, and uncertainties into clinical practice.

Clinical decision‐making—an analytical approach that makes explicit use of information to quantify probabilities and outcomes to analyze decisions under conditions of uncertainty—can provide a framework to analyze the impact of uncertainty of clinical information. Diagnostic, effectiveness, and outcome information is quantified and combined in an explicit way to serve as a tool for clinicians, not as a replacement for clinical judgment or experience. Such an approach has the potential to improve clinical practice and help dentists do their jobs better by structuring the decision problem and assessing probabilities and utilities. Clinical decision‐making also helps dentists communicate with each other by identifying clinical controversies, thereby characterizing how and why disagreements may arise and what additional data may be needed to address a clinical question.
Clinical Decision‐Making for Caries Management in Root Surfaces
Authors: Leake James L.
Published: June 2020

This report presents the results of an evidence‐based approach to obtaining the best available information on the natural history, prevalence, incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of root caries. Searches of electronic databases produced 807 references; from these and from citations in the selected articles, a final 161 references were used. We found that the information on the natural history of the disease does not provide practitioners with probabilities of, or time estimates for, progression of the disease through stages. For patients aged thirty and older, the prevalence of root caries is roughly 20 to 22 percent less than a person's age. Severity reaches over one lesion by age fifty, two lesions by age seventy, and just over three lesions for those seventy‐five and older. About 8 percent (odds of 1:11) of the population would be expected to acquire one or more new root caries lesions in one year. The accuracy of current systems of diagnosis is unknown, although color has been shown to have little validity. Using the criteria of “softness” to define active lesions has been validated by the presence of microbes in the lesion. One strong study and other studies with weaker design or shorter duration add consistent support for the use of fluorides in the remineralization of root caries. Every three‐month application of chlorhexidine varnish was shown to be efficacious in one arm of one study. Evidence for restoration of root caries is tentative since the studies were of limited design and duration.
Problem‐Based Learning and the Dental School Library
Authors: Lennon Áine M. , Anderson P. F. , McDonald James L. , Stookey George K.
Published: June 2020

A major curriculum revision involving the utilization of problem‐based learning was implemented at Indiana University School of Dentistry in the summer of 1997. Two of the main goals of this new student‐centered curriculum were to promote critical thinking skills and to encourage a desire for lifelong learning, both of which were anticipated to increase student use of the library. This study examined circulation at the library for three years immediately prior to, and for three years immediately following, the curricular change. Results show that library circulation has increased significantly since the pedagogical change. This suggests that students in the new curriculum place more emphasis on the library as a learning resource than did their traditional curriculum counterparts.
Purposeful Assessment Techniques (PAT) Applied to an OSCE‐Based Measurement of Competencies in a Pediatric Dentistry Curriculum
Authors: Boone William John , McWhorter Alton G. , Seale N. Sue
Published: June 2020

Careful measurements of knowledge, attitude, and psychomotor and communication skills are necessary components of testing in a competency‐based approach to education in dentistry. In an effort to address these requirements, Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD), Dallas, Texas, has applied Purposeful Assessment Techniques (PAT) to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) currently in use. PAT are those techniques that allow one to work toward development of linear measurement scales that are “person‐free” and “item‐free.” Person‐free measurement means that useful data are produced regardless of the group being measured, and item‐free measurement means that it does not matter which mix of items is completed over the course of an assessment. The Rasch probabilistic model and a guiding definition of Objective Measurement were used in an effort to implement PAT for the BCD OSCE. A Rasch analysis of a BCD‐administered OSCE produced an item map that demonstrated the range of difficulty of items by student performance. This item map can be used to determine which items can be repeated on subsequent tests to allow for linear measurement of students' progression through the curriculum. The movement toward PAT described in this paper demonstrates how careful and evolving measurement in dental education can be of great benefit to faculty, staff, students, and the public.
Creating a School Without Walls and Building a Learning Organization: A Case Study
Authors: Frankl Spencer N. , Gibbons‐Carr Michele
Published: June 2020

This article describes the genesis of a “school without walls” philosophy and the implementation of learning organization principles at Boston University School of Dental Medicine (BUSDM). In Peter Senge's five‐discipline approach to organizational learning, a learning organization is defined as “an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future.” It is an organization that changes and innovates based on continuous learning, which in BUSDM's case constituted learning from industry trends, patients, students, staff, faculty, and other key stakeholders. Most important, such organizations successfully translate that learning into effective action. It is this capacity to innovate and create change that is critical to competitive advantage and success in a changing environment. This case study of organizational change provides a discussion of the conceptual framework guiding the design and implementation of the learning organization and the chronology of transformation that occurred in three phases over a period of twenty years. We also describe the lessons we learned and the lessons that are still emerging.
Making Patients Safe and Comfortable for a Lifetime of Dentistry: Frontiers in Office‐Based Sedation
Authors: Yagiela John A.
Published: June 2020

Conscious sedation administered in the office setting is one important method for helping people obtain necessary dental care. Patients who may benefit from sedation include the dentally fearful, young children, the behaviorally or medically challenged, and individuals who are undergoing invasive procedures or have problems with gagging or local anesthesia. In‐office sedation is effective in reducing apprehension and can improve patient behavior without adversely affecting the patient's physiological status. Mortality and serious morbidity are exceedingly rare in modern practice. Although behavioral strategies are clearly more cost‐effective for the patient receiving routine dental care, in‐office sedation is usually the least expensive alternative for patients requiring pharmacologic management. Future advances in conscious sedation may include agents and techniques currently thought to be dangerous for nongeneral anesthesia‐trained dentists because of their ability to produce rapid changes in anesthetic depth. However, delivery devices such as infusion pumps for drugs like propofol, when coupled with computers to help regulate the infusion rate and monitor the sedative effect, may provide the necessary control for safe administration of propofol and similar drugs by these individuals. A final approach to drug delivery may involve patient‐controlled sedation in which the patient self‐infuses small boluses incrementally until the desired effect is achieved.
Pharmacologic Advances in Orofacial Pain: From Molecules to Medicine
Authors: Dionne Raymond A.
Published: June 2020

The management of chronic orofacial pain often follows a pattern of claims of efficacy based on clinical observations superseded by equivocal findings of effectiveness or belated recognition of toxicity. While therapeutic innovation spurred by genomics and proteomics is likely to result in new drugs for pain, inflammation, and neuropathic pain, the process of drug development and approval takes five to ten years and is often unsuccessful. Therapeutic strategies for improving treatment for chronic orofacial pain are proposed, but recognition of impediments to changing clinical practices suggest the need for interim measures. Greater understanding of the molecular and genetic events that contribute to pain chronicity and interindividual variations in pain responsiveness may eventually result in individualized molecular pain medicine to prevent and treat chronic orofacial pain.
Perceived sources of stress among dental students at the University of Jordan
Authors: Rajab LD
Published: June 2020

This study investigated perceived stress by dental students at the University of Jordan. Two hundred sixty‐six students out of 290 completed a modified DES questionnaire. The stressors producing the highest ratings for perceived stress were examinations and grades, fully loaded day, and lack of time for relaxation. For the clinical years, patients' being late or not showing for their appointments and completing clinical requirements were also substantial stressors. Significant differences were found for eleven items across all classes and five items across clinical years. The overall perception of stress by students who had medicine as their first choice for admission was higher than for students who had dentistry as their first choice. Male‐female comparison revealed significant differences for five items; between classes, significant differences were accounted for by three items. Comparison with earlier studies on identical questionnaire items revealed that perception of stress by Jordanian dental students was higher than for other students for items relating to educational environment and personal or cultural aspects.
Founding a new dental school at Nova Southeastern University
Authors: Melnick A , Oliet S
Published: June 2020

The dental school arose from the premise that a dental school would round out the university and add prestige to the burgeoning Health Professions Division with its five schools and eight health programs. The school was founded in light of the following circumstances. Patient Pool Evaluation of community facilities and services revealed that there was an increasing patient pool, without disturbing the present mix. There was evidence of a need for dental care for large numbers of unserved or underserved people. Financial Considerations Proforma and cash flow budget projections showed financial stability of this project. The university was recognized to have the ability to absorb initial capital costs. HPD had a history of the success in functioning with tuition‐dependent budgets. University Factors The university has had success in establishing and operating five health professions schools. A complete and experienced infrastructure has existed for sixteen years in the University and in the Health Professions Division. The university would provide unconditional administrative support.
Impact of Tobacco Use on Periodontal Status
Authors: Johnson Georgia K. , Slach Nancy A.
Published: June 2020

This article reviews the effects of smoked and smokeless tobacco on periodontal status, including the impact of smoking on periodontal therapy and potential mechanisms for the adverse effects of tobacco on the periodontium. Approximately half of periodontitis cases have been attributed to either current or former smoking. Both cigar and cigarette smokers have significantly greater loss of bone height than nonsmokers, and there is a trend for pipe smokers to have more bone loss than nonsmokers. Unlike smokers, who experience widespread periodontal destruction, the most prevalent effects of smokeless tobacco are localized to the site of placement, in the form of gingival recession and white mucosal lesions. Smoking has an adverse effect on all forms of periodontal therapy, and up to 90 percent of refractory periodontitis patients are smokers. The pathogenesis of smoking‐related periodontal destruction has been attributed to alterations in the microflora and/or host response. Some data indicates that smoking may increase levels of certain periodontal pathogens, but there is more evidence that smoking has a negative effect on host response, such as neutrophil function and antibody production. An encouraging finding is that periodontal disease progression slows in patients who quit smoking and that these individuals have a similar response to periodontal therapy as nonsmokers. The facts presented in this paper will assist dental health professionals in treatment‐planning decisions and provide them with important information to share with patients who use tobacco products.
The Changing Face of Dental Education: The Impact of PBL
Authors: Fincham Alan G. , Shuler Charles F.
Published: June 2020

The past decade has seen increasing demands for reform of dental education that would produce a graduate better equipped to work in the rapidly changing world of the twenty‐first century. Among the most notable curriculum changes implemented in dental schools is a move toward Problem‐Based Learning (PBL). PBL, in some form, has been a feature of medical education for several decades, but has only recently been introduced into dental schools. This paper discusses the rationale for the introduction of a PBL pedagogy into dental education, the modalities of PBL being introduced, and the implications of the introduction of PBL into dental schools. Matters related to implementation, faculty development, admissions, and assessment are addressed. Observations derived from a parallel‐track dental PBL curriculum at the University of Southern California (USC) are presented and discussed. This program conforms to the Barrows (1998) concept of “authentic PBL” in that the program has no scheduled lectures and maintains a PBL pedagogy for all four years of the curriculum. The USC dental students working in the PBL curriculum have attained a high level of achievement on U.S. National Dental Boards (Part I) examinations, significantly superior to their peers working in a traditional lecture‐based curriculum.
Assessing Outcomes of Curricular Change: A View from Program Graduates
Authors: Ryding Helen A. , Murphy H. Joseph
Published: June 2020

Graduates of dental programs constitute a stakeholder group that is able to provide unique information concerning the effectiveness of the dental curriculum in preparing them for dental careers. Following the implementation of planned curricular changes, graduates of the former and the new curricula were surveyed. Results indicate that, while both groups perceive themselves to have been adequately prepared by their D.D.S. program for practice, graduates of the new curriculum indicated a higher level of preparedness in several areas, especially regarding selecting, prescribing and administering pharmacotherapeutic agents. In addition, the results suggest that the change in the first two years from an emphasis on basic sciences and preclinical laboratory work to an early introduction to live dental patients and the integration of foundation sciences and clinical courses were endorsed. The evidence gathered from this alumni survey indicates that the reforms implemented in the dental curriculum were appropriate. Areas requiring further investigation are also discussed.
The Use of Specific Dental School‐Taught Restorative Techniques by Practicing Clinicians
Authors: Clark David M. , Oyen Ordean J. , Feil Philip
Published: June 2020

In 1995, a survey requesting information about the utilization of certain prosthodontic techniques was mailed to 3,544 graduates of a midwestern dental school. Responses were received from 1,455 alumni, representing a 41 percent return rate. In general, the results are consistent with international and national trends and show significant disparity in the utilization rates of certain procedures between general dentists and prosthodontists, as well as a disconnect between what is taught in the undergraduate dental educational program and what is applied in practice. For example, while prosthodontists typically apply what was taught in their educational program, utilization rates of general dentists for the facebow was 29.64 percent; the custom tray 68.48 percent; border molding 58.67 percent; altered casts 24.10 percent; custom posts 49.29 percent; prefabricated posts 67.54 percent; and semi‐adjustable articulators 50.64 percent. While no solutions to this disconnect are offered, the authors do pose important questions that must be addressed by the dental educational community.
Patients Are Not Equally Susceptible to Periodontitis: Does This Change Dental Practice and the Dental Curriculum?
Authors: Kornman Kenneth S.
Published: June 2020

In the 1960s and 1970s, data became available indicating that most of the adult population had periodontal disease and that effective bacterial removal prevented and treated periodontitis. This information led to a systematic approach to the management of periodontal disease and influenced teaching of periodontics in dental schools. We now know that most adults have only gingivitis and very mild localized periodontitis. A small percentage, albeit representing substantial numbers, of adults have generalized severe periodontitis. We also recognize that a few currently known and measurable risk factors, including diabetes, smoking, and genetics, can identify the patients who are at risk for the severe generalized cases that require extensive therapy and intensive prevention, as well as patients at risk for a less‐predictable response to treatment. This review will discuss the evidence that supports the change in our knowledge and understanding of periodontal disease. The question now becomes at what point, and how, do we integrate this new knowledge into the dental curriculum?
Student Perceptions of an Online Dental Terminology Course
Authors: Grimes Ellen B.
Published: June 2020

Online learning is becoming a recognized method for delivering educational content throughout institutions of higher education. Few studies have been performed regarding online learning in dentistry or dental hygiene. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe and analyze the experiences of thirteen students enrolled in an online dental terminology course to determine their satisfaction level. The overall perceptions of online learning were positive, and although some frustrations were apparent, the majority of students stated that they learned a great deal, found the course valuable, and were now familiar with the terminology. Students commented on the convenience of taking the course at a time that fit their schedule and a place that they did not have to commute to attend. Technical issues and student isolation seemed to be the primary drawbacks to online learning. Some students missed the interaction that exists in a regular classroom. Students strongly suggested that, to be successful in online education, one had to be a self‐directed learner. In addition, visual learners were more apt than audio learners to appreciate online learning. The results of this study suggest that online learning was a valuable method for teaching dental terminology and is particularly beneficial for students with no other alternative methods for gaining access to the courses due to geographical location. Where appropriate, online courses should be considered an option for providing distance education in dental hygiene programs.
Assessing and Helping Challenging Students: Part One, Why Do Some Students Have Difficulty Learning?
Authors: Hendricson William D. , Kleffner John H.
Published: June 2020

When students struggle with routine assignments and fall behind classmates, a busy teacher may pigeonhole them as slow, give up on them, or become frustrated from failed efforts to bring them up to speed. Well‐intentioned efforts to help struggling students by providing repetitions of the same experiences may fail because the specific cause of the sub‐par performance was not identified. Six potential causes of inadequate student performance can serve as a diagnostic framework to help teachers pinpoint why a student is struggling academically: 1) cognitive factors, including poorly integrated, compartmentalized information, poor metacognition that hinders the student's ability to monitor and self‐correct performance, bona fide learning disabilities that require professional assessment and treatment, and sensory‐perceptual difficulties that may hinder performance in certain health care disciplines; 2) ineffective study habits, which are more common among professional students than faculty realize; 3) an inadequate educational experience (unclear objectives, poorly organized instruction, absence of coaching and timely feedback) or a punitive environment in which students avoid approaching instructors for assistance; 4) distraction due to nonacademic issues such as social relationships, health of a spouse, or employment; 5) dysfunctional levels of defensiveness that hinder student‐teacher communication; and 6) underlying medical conditions that may affect student attentiveness, motivation, energy, and emotional balance. The objective of this article is to help faculty recognize potential underlying causes of a student's learning problems. Strategies for helping the academically struggling student are also introduced for several of these etiologies.
Identification of Factors Influencing Matriculation Decisions by Dental School Applicants
Authors: Whitehead Albert W. , Novak Karen F. , Close John M.
Published: June 2020

Recent dental school surveys have indicated a slight decrease in the overall number of dental school applicants. As a result, competition for the most highly qualified students is increasing among dental schools. A number of factors may contribute to an applicant's decision on where to matriculate, such as tuition costs, cost of living in an area, location of the dental school, reputation, availability of financial aid, and the school's facilities. Identifying the reasons why students choose to attend a specific school may be an important first step in formulating a strategic plan for recruitment. As a result, a survey was sent to all students (250) interviewed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine for the 2000‐01 admissions cycle. The results of this survey were compared to a similar survey sent following the 1994‐95 admissions cycle. In addition, the results of the University of Pittsburgh surveys were compared to a similar survey conducted by a different northeastern dental school. The factors rated most important in 1994‐95 were reputation, facilities, and location, in order. In 2000‐01, location, curriculum, tuition, and reputation were rated the most important factors, in order. This information may assist admissions officers in formulating an effective recruitment strategy for the most highly qualified applicants.
Pioneers in Oral Biology: The Stories of Gottlieb, Kronfeld, Orban, Weinmann, and Sicher and Their Vienna‐to‐America Migrations
Authors: Kremenak Nellie W. , Squier Christopher A.
Published: June 2020

Following the annexation of Austria by Hitler's Germany in 1938, officials at the eminent University of Vienna Medical School purged faculty ranks of Jews. Among those forced out were several distinguished physician dentists, several of whom emigrated to the United States. The assimilation of foreign‐trained dentists raised questions at national meetings of the American Association of Dental Schools and the National Association of Dental Examiners. Already existing ties between dental schools in Chicago and the University of Vienna, including the 1928 appointment of Rudolf Kronfeld to the faculty at Loyola, led to the relocation of Balint Orban, Harry Sicher, and Joseph Peter Weinmann to that city. Bernhard Gottlieb, who had been director of the Dental Institute in Vienna, transplanted less easily, but eventually found a niche at the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. The careers of the Vienna dentist‐scientists strengthened the scientific foundations of clinical dentistry in the United States, contributed to the development of a stronger research establishment, and enlarged the scope of oral biology.
Use of Distance Education in Dental Hygiene Programs
Authors: Grimes Ellen B.
Published: June 2020

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. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and use of distance education in dental hygiene educational programs nationally. Dental hygiene directors of all associate degree and baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs in the United States (N = 255) were mailed a fifteen‐item survey regarding their use of distance education. Results of the study indicated that 22 percent of dental hygiene programs have implemented distance education. In addition, a large variety of courses are being offered by several distance education delivery methods. 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.
Graduates' Perceptions of Self‐Assessment Training in Clinical Dental Hygiene Education
Authors: Bowers Jane A. , Wilson Jane E.
Published: June 2020

Although research regarding self‐assessment as a curriculum component has been undertaken previously, no data have been reported regarding the perceptions of graduates who were taught self‐assessment as a formalized component of accredited dental hygiene programs. Aided by alumni insight and the belief that the dental hygiene curriculum has the potential for improvement, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate dental hygienists' perceptions regarding self‐assessment as a curriculum component and its impact on their clinical dental hygiene education. This investigation drew a sample of subjects from forty‐eight graduates of a bachelor's degree dental hygiene program located within a college of dentistry. Twelve graduates were selected to participate in the study. An audiotaped, semi‐structured interview with predetermined questions served as a focus for the interview, yet amplification and probing allowed the participants to further articulate their feelings and thoughts. Findings indicated that participants believed self‐assessment to be a worthwhile and positive component of the dental hygiene curriculum. All participants emphatically recounted with dramatic examples that training in self‐assessment positively influenced their clinical dental hygiene education, permanently impacted their thinking process, and is being used in their practices.
Education in HIV Risk Screening, Counseling, Testing, and Referral: Survey of U.S. Dental Schools
Authors: Patton Lauren L. , Santos V. Allen , McKaig Rosemary G. , Shugars Diane C. , Strauss Ronald P.
Published: June 2020

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, thousands of Americans are infected with HIV but are unaware of their infection status. National disease prevention goals to identify and treat these individuals will benefit from HIV risk screening, counseling, testing, and referral services conducted in nontraditional settings and the use of alternative diagnostic methods such as oral fluid‐based HIV antibody testing. Using a mail survey of the fifty‐four U.S. dental schools (85 percent response rate), this study assessed the teaching and practice of HIV risk screening, as well as the opinions of dental educators regarding HIV counseling and testing and a possible role for oral fluid‐based HIV antibody testing in dental offices. All responding dental schools have curriculum and clinical education training regarding HIV behavioral risks, medical history, and use of oral manifestations as indicators of HIV. Educators felt risk screening and referral for HIV counseling and testing was part of a dentist's professional role. One‐third of respondents indicated they might include HIV counseling and testing using a rapid oral fluid‐based HIV antibody test in their clinics. However, these respondents lacked confidence that graduating dentists have the skills and willingness to conduct HIV counseling and testing in dental practice. Lack of training in prevention counseling was seen as a primary barrier.
Genetic Testing Considerations for Oral Medicine
Authors: Hart Thomas C. , Ferrell Robert E.
Published: June 2020

The availability and integration of genetic information into our understanding of normal and abnormal growth and development are driving important changes in health care. These changes have fostered the hope that the availability of genetic information will promote a better understanding of disease etiology and permit early, even pre‐symptomatic diagnosis and preventative intervention to avoid disease onset. Expectations for this proactive health care approach are fueled by the technological and scientific advances that have fundamentally changed how we perceive human diseases. Among the clinical applications of this information, genetic testing applications are likely to expand significantly and may broadly impact the clinical practice of dentistry. In this changing environment, it is vital that dental care providers, policymakers, and consumers become aware of important issues related to genetic testing and the incorporation of genetic information into the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases that involve the oral cavity. We must also guard against unrealistic expectations and calls for genetic tests that are not valid. To realize the promise of this new molecular genetics, we must understand the possibilities and responsibly incorporate newly emergent technologies into the evolving discipline of dentistry. This paper overviews many of the important issues that need to be considered in the application of genetic testing to oral medicine.
The Evolution of Dental Health in Dental Students at the University of Barcelona
Authors: Cortes Francisco Javier , Nevot Cristina , Ramon José María , Cuenca Emilio
Published: June 2020

The aim of this research was to study the evolution of dental health of dental students during their academic training and to assess the extent to which the knowledge acquired was reflected in their own dental care. A sample of 107 students at the schools of dentistry and medicine (the latter as a comparison group) of the University of Barcelona, Spain, underwent an oral examination and completed a questionnaire during their training in the third and fifth academic years. The oral examinations were limited to the status of teeth. Bitewing radiographs were used for both posterior sectors, and these were interpreted using the criteria proposed by Pitts (1984). The data were analyzed using the SPSS package. At the end of the study, medical students had more teeth present than dental students (29.80 vs. 28.94 [p=0.022]) and a lower DMFT index of 4.33 vs. 5.91 (p=0.038), with an FT component of 2.44 and 5.23 (p=0.011), respectively. All dental students underwent more treatment of all types than medical students, and dental health habits and knowledge were superior in dental students. The third year was the key year for decision making with regard to the student's dental health. We conclude that dental students are highly motivated about maintaining their dental health and their dental education experiences appear to have had a clear influence on this behavior.
Are Traditional Cognitive Tests Useful in Predicting Clinical Success?
Authors: Gray Sarah A. , Deem Lisa P. , Straja Sorin R.
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this research was to determine the predictive value of the Dental Admission Test (DAT) for clinical success using Ackerman's theory of ability determinants of skilled performance. The Ackerman theory is a valid, reliable schema in the applied psychology literature used to predict complex skill acquisition. Inconsistent stimulus‐response skill acquisition depends primarily on determinants of cognitive ability. Consistent information‐processing tasks have been described as “automatic,” in which stimuli and responses are mapped in a manner that allows for complete certainty once the relationships have been learned. It is theorized that the skills necessary for success in the clinical component of dental schools involve a significant amount of automatic processing demands and, as such, student performance in the clinics should begin to converge as task practice is realized and tasks become more consistent. Subtest scores of the DAT of four classes were correlated with final grades in nine clinical courses. Results showed that the DAT subtest scores played virtually no role with regard to the final clinical grades. Based on this information, the DAT scores were determined to be of no predictive value in clinical achievement.
Improving the Oral Health Knowledge of Osteopathic Medical Students
Authors: Skelton Judith , Smith Timothy A. , Betz William T. , Heaton Lisa J. , Lillich Thomas T.
Published: June 2020

Due to a complex set of circumstances including culture, poverty, low educational achievement, and limited access to dental care, the oral health of rural Appalachians is poorer than that of people in other parts of Kentucky. Limited health care dollars go to primary medical care which may be the only contact these individuals have with the health care system. Consequently, primary care physicians can help improve oral health. The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) and the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine (PCSOM) developed an oral health education block for third‐year PCSOM students. Eleven UKCD faculty and one PCSOM faculty participated in the two‐day, sixteen‐hour oral health curriculum. Knowledge retention data from the post‐tests was collected four months after the educational program. Students significantly improved their performance in six of the topic areas, with performance staying the same in one area and dropping significantly in one area. Focus groups were conducted with sixteen (two groups of eight) randomly selected students one year after the educational program. Students reported using the knowledge and oral exam techniques included in the course and felt that it was a valuable addition to their curriculum.