University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1915-04-27
To RAISE STANDARD
OF DENTAL SCHOOLS
]. H. Kennerly, of Washing
ton University, Tells of
New Requirements.
COLLEGE WORK FIRST
AsDentistry Advances Among
Professions, 1t Demands
Better Educated Men.
COLLEGE WORK FIRST
By ]. II. Kennerly. ID. d. s., NJ. D.,
Dean.

Dean.
Since all associations which per-
tain to and govern dental education in
the United States have unanimously
decided that an additional year shall
be added to the dental curriculum, the
question naturally arises as to what
disposition shall be made of this year
What shall be taught? Some dental
schools claim that the present course
now taught in three years should be
extended, or rather spread out. SO as
to cover four years. The institutions
making these demands claim lack
of time for thorough technical train
ing. There is still another class of
institutions that desire a better and
broader foundation on which they are
sure it will be easier to build pro-
fessional education
For some years the matriculation
requirements i'm dental schools have
been the equivalent of graduation
from an accredited high school. In
fortunately, our experience has been
that the average high school gradu
ate, from the best high schools in the
country, is not ready to appreciate
the professional curriculum as it is
at present administered He comes
from a high school where he is
taught to memorize pages from a
textbook and to recite the contents
the day following. Immediately to
forget them as they do not appeal to
his sense or reason. Consequently,
his whole course in high school does
little more for him than to quicken
his memory. He gets his instruction
in very different form when he en-
ters college. He is expected to be
vitally interested in each subject he
takes, as each one is planned to pre-
pare him to work out for himself
successful career. But, owing to his
former training, he fails to meet the
new method of instruction. He can
not memorize Gray's Anatomy or any
other textbook that is put into his
hands He has not been taught to
listen to lecture, to take notes or to
appreciate the fine points which the
teachers labor to put into his head.
He finds himself at sea, gets discour-
aged, then reckless and finally falls
into the habit of depending upon his
wits to get his credits.
This is not always the case, but it
is manifestly true in so many in
stances and there is abundant reason
to feel that it is substantially the
case with SO many students that it
seems there should be a remedy for
1t.
A high school education may be suf-
ficient for the man who desires to
take up some business vocation, but
is insufficient for the man who de-
sires to begin the study OF a profess
sion. We frequently hear the state
ment made by the heads Of some den
tai schools that there are certain men
in their classes who are not high
school graduates who are doing bet
ter work than most of their high
school graduates. If they will take
the trouble to investigate these cases,
they will find that these men have
been, since leaving high school, fol-
lowing some vocation which demands
concentration of thought, which is
an education in itself, and therefore
an argument in favor of the conten-
ton that the dental matriculant
should have more than high school
preparation or matriculation in a pro-
essional school.
The dental practitioner of today is.
with a few exceptions, the product of
the present system of education. May
we not scrutinize him and find some
basis for change in school methods
which will tend to make the future
practitioner more what We would
wish him to be. May we include in
this study a consideration of the
newer problems which confront the
dentist of today.
An almost worldwide propaganda
I'm oral hygiene has increased enor-
mously the demand for dental serv-