Dr. Michael Glick’s July JADA editorial, "Dental Education: An Evolving Challenge," (JADA 2006;137[7]:940–4) has accurately and appropriately focused attention on the complex issues that confront dental educators.
Dr. Glick astutely comments that "few dentists 30 years ago envisioned the emergence of spa dentistry, extreme makeovers, dental implants placed by general dentists and specialists alike, clear orthodontic aligners, facial bone distraction ... ." In fact, he could have used a time frame of five years, and his observation would remain correct. It is with this ever-increasing, rapid rate of change as background that the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) initiated a program to promote the incorporation of bio-based discoveries into clinical practice.
One program, funded by a grant from the NIDCR, is at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. Called the Biodontics Educational Program, this pilot program focuses on
- – promoting all aspects of translational research, including the process of moving a discovery from the laboratory to a prototype for evaluation chairside;
- – the application of the scientific method to chairside evaluation of new technologies;
- – using translational research to encourage dental students to consider careers in academic dentistry.
While the Biodontics Educational Program is presented as an elective, should it prove effective in encouraging the rate of new discoveries into dental practice, it may serve as a model to assist in the development of new dental curricula. Such a curriculum would allow dental student graduates to adapt more rapidly to technological changes and to respond to consumer trends that Dr. Glick addresses in his editorial.
It will be take some time to see whether the Biodontics Educational Program, or another funded by the NIDCR, can achieve its goals. It is clear that the need for educational reform has been endorsed by several national organizations that include, in addition to the NIDCR, the American Dental Education Association and the American Dental Association. Undoubtedly, it is only a matter of time before changes are seen in the education of the next generation of dentists.
