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Travis Austin
The dental profession's very survival may depend upon its rapid response to the growing problem of faculty shortages on dental school campuses.
IS OUR DENTAL EDUCATION SYSTEM really in bad shape? It seems only now that the dental profession is taking notice of the 1999 American Association of Dental Schools (renamed the American Dental Education Association) "Report of the AADS President's Task Force on Future Dental School Faculty,"' in which it was noted that in the past decade faculty numbers have dropped some 20%, with losses across all segments of the profession.
The report goes on to state that, "The consequences of not addressing the faculty shortage soon are no less than a national impact on the quality of and accessibility to oral health care."
If one adds to this statement the public's heightened awareness of the importance of oral healthcare, as a result of last year's surgeon general's report, then the extent of increasing shortages could become evident to not only the public, but Congress as well. Such exposure is not necessarily a positive thing for the profession, because, unless we pay attention to this critical matter, solutions are likely to be enacted hastily and without our approval.
Adding to the dilemma is the fact that because of clinical losses, many dental schools are being hard pressed to continue their clinical community outreach programs. Health profession shortage areas, or HPSAs (an area Opinions expressed in "Viewpoint" columns are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the position of The Dental Journal or the New York State Dental Association.
with an unfavorable dentist-to-population ratio), have actually doubled over a 10-year period, from 1990-2000, and currently stand at roughly 1,400. Since many of our schools are already serving in these under-represented areas, possible losses in these locations would not bode well for public perception of our profession.
The Student's Perspective
Why are there shortages? There are, of course, many possible reasons for the losses, but simply put, dental students do not view dental education as a viable choice for their future careers.
A 1998 ADEA survey of 4th year dental students found that only 0.5% of respondents was actively pursuing educational positions.' Thus, out of 4,041 graduates in...