LET'S IMPROVE DENTAL EDUCATION

The American Independent Dentist's Association feels that the future of choice in dentistry lies in the education and early opportunities afforded to young dentists.

EDUCATION
Most leaders in dental education privately agree that four years is no longer enough to provide rounded and experiential dental education. The acceptance of implantology as a routine treatment modality, the advent of regenerative periodontal techniques, the plethora of uses for bonded porcelain, the increasing knowledge base in occlusion and TMD, ad infinitum- there is more to know than there was twenty years ago. Residency directors privately complain of the decreasing quality and preparation of new graduates. AIDA challenges the deans of the dental schools to make the following fundamental changes in dental education:

Don't graduate everybody. We find that many schools allow students to take one to two extra years to graduate. Yes, there are financial incentives for the school to graduate each student, but is the profession and the public really being served? It takes courage and fortitude on the part of an educator to help a young person recognize a wrong path, and we encourage our educational leaders to show judgment and compassion and professional diligence in promoting trouble students.

Insist on a required fifth year of dental school or a required residency year. Today, Delaware is the only state requiring postdoctoral experience for licensure. AIDA feels that the additional experience afforded by a supervised "woking internship" will greatly improve a young dentist's abilities to serve the public, improve clinical judgement, and vastly increase his or her desirability for quality associateship positions in quality offices. The barriers to this requirement are purely financial- more faculty and clinical space would be required. Starting more residency programs in a period of hospital downsizing will require a terrific sell-job. EAGD's are perhaps easier to start and administrate, but many local dentists actually percieve community educational clinics as competitive to their practices. We plan to build more on this suggestion in future updates of this page, and would appreciate input from dental educators.

EARLY OPPORTUNITIES
The young dentists interviewed by AIDA's Board have consistently communicated that managed care was promoted to them by school faculty as the most likely if not the only option available to young graduates. We hope that students reading this page will understand that, like most areas of life, opportunity is limited only by imagination and self-imposed roadblocks.

AIDA, through its various programs, hopes to reach out to young dentists to build faith in their ability to practice in any manner of their choosing. AIDA hopes to increase interest in mentorship and associateship with established dentists. The profession has everything to gain by promoting quality opportunities for new graduates and offering alternatives to clinics and managed care practices.

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8American Independent Dentist's Association
Last update 11/17/97