Bulletin of Dental Education

A report released in August 2011 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations, details recommendations to meet the oral health care needs of the underserved in the United States. Its motive is to bring into sharp focus the greatest barriers faced by the most vulnerable populations and ensure that oral health care is included in the national conversation that continues around health care.

A faculty shortage and the lack of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty place academic dentistry in the midst of a crisis. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has identified best practices to recruit and retain URM faculty that highlight the importance of leadership, institutional climate, mentoring, and valuing diversity.

The National Museum of Dentistry has created a new resource to help parents of children with autism spectrum disorder succeed in teaching good oral healthcare. Healthy Smiles for Autism is a free guide that helps parents teach children with autism spectrum disorder how to brush and floss with the help of step-by-step instruction, social stories, and visual sequencing cards for brushing.

The University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry participated in the 2011 National Women's Health Week, which took place in early May. Women's Health Week activities included three lunchtime sessions focused on women's wellness, a day of free dental screenings for Bay Area women, and a handful of fitness activities for students and employees.

A new Hospital Dentistry program was recently established on the first floor of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry, within the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS).

Emerging data indicate the unique effects of oral cancer, periodontal disease, obesity, violence, and other factors on women’s health. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health sponsorship, will identify current knowledge gaps to fill so that the next generation of North American oral care providers better meets the unique health needs of women. 

By 2030 the number of people 65 years or older in the United States is expected to rise to 72.1 million, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. This growing segment, which will compose 19% of the U.S. population, will present unique challenges to the next generation of oral care providers.

Six national health professions associations and three private foundations released new reports detailing their recommendations for interprofessional education in the health professions. These reports provide the new competencies and action strategies to be implemented in educational institutions in the United States, providing the foundation for improved patient care and services. 

Each summer, three rising senior dental hygiene students and a faculty member from the University of Maryland satellite campus in Princess Anne travel by boat to Smith Island on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to provide dental hygiene care to island residents. Smith Island's population decreases each year due to lack of employment and the slow decline of the crabbing industry.

On April 25, 2011, Dean Christian S. Stohler, D.M.D., DrMedDent, and the University of Maryland Dental School (UMDS) hosted a town hall meeting on behalf of the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR). The forum was entitled “Bringing Oral Health Research Home” and was the first in a series of proposed nationwide town hall meetings.