ADEA CCI 1.0 White Papers

Between 2005 and 2008, the ADEA CCI commissioned a series of white papers that were published in the Journal of Dental Education, and later collected in the book Beyond the Crossroads. 

ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education

Kenneth L. Kalkwarf, D.D.S., N. Karl Haden, Ph.D. and Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H.

Journal of Dental Education, October 1, 2005. Vol. 69, No. 10, 1085-1087

“It’s easier to move a cemetery than to change a curriculum.” When these words were originally spoken, dental education probably wasn’t the focus. However, numerous authors and speakers over the past twenty years are convinced that these words describe the reality of curriculum reform in a contemporary dental school.  Read more.

The Case for Change in Dental Education

ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education, et al.

Journal of Dental Education, September 1, 2006. Vol. 70, No. 9, 921-924

This article introduces a series of white papers developed by the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation (CCI) to explore the case for change in dental education. This preamble to the series argues that there is a compelling need for rethinking the approach to dental education in the United States.  Read more. 

Educational Strategies Associated with Development of Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, and Self-Directed Learning

ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education, et al.

Journal of Dental Education, September 1, 2006. Vol. 70, No. 9, 925-936

This article summarizes the evidence related to this question: What are educational best practices for helping dental students acquire the capacity to function as an entry-level general dentist or to be a better candidate to begin advanced studies? Read more.

The Dental Education Environment

ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education, et al.

Journal of Dental Education, December 1, 2006. Vol. 70, No. 12, 1265-1270

This article presents the ADEA CCI’s view of the dental education environment necessary for effective change. The article states that the CCI’s purpose is related to leading and building consensus in the dental community to foster a continuous process of innovative change in the education of general dentists. Read more. 

The Influence of "New Science" on Dental Education: Current Concepts, Trends, and Models for the Future

Anthony M. Iacopino, D.M.D., Ph.D.

Journal of Dental Education, April 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 4, 450-462

Advances in all aspects of science and discovery continue to occur at an exponential rate, leading to a wealth of new knowledge and technologies that have the potential to transform dental practice. This “new science” within the areas of cell/ molecular biology, genetics, tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and informatics has been available for several years; however, the assimilation of this information into the dental curriculum has been slow. Read more. 

Making Academic Dentistry More Attractive to New Teacher-Scholars

Cathy A. Trower, Ph.D.

Journal of Dental Education, May 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 5, 601-605

This perspectives article summarizes data on the numbers of women and persons of color earning the D.D.S./D.M.D. degrees and entering the U.S. dentistry profession in the first decade of the twenty-first century and examines job factors of importance to recent graduates of doctoral programs in other academic disciplines that may have relevance for planning recruitment and retention strategies within academic dentistry.  Read more. 

Does the Dental School Work Environment Promote Successful Academic Careers?

Carroll-Ann Trotman, B.D.S., M.A., M.S., N. Karl Haden, Ph.D. and William Hendricson, M.S., M.A.

Journal of Dental Education, June 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 6 713-725

A consistent theme in the national dialogue about future directions for the educational arm of dentistry is how best to cultivate a school environment that will be seen as attractive by members of the dental community who desire to serve their profession as teachers and scholars. As a first step toward stimulating broad-based reflection on the working environment within dental schools, the ADEA CCI conducted a symposium titled “Change, Innovation, and the Quality of Faculty Work-Life” at the 2007 ADEA Annual Session in New Orleans.  Read more. 

Dental Education: A Leadership Challenge for Dental Educators and Practitioners

Kathleen Roth, D.D.S.

Journal of Dental Education, August 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 8, 983-987

By all outward signs, the dental profession is prospering. However, signs of a looming crisis in dental education threaten the future effectiveness of the profession. Transforming dental education through the application of principles espoused by the ADEA CCI is essential for securing the future of the profession. To meet the future oral health needs of the public, dental schools must retain their research mission and prepare students for evidence-based practice. Read more.

Dentistry and Dental Education in the Context of the Evolving Health Care System

Maxwell H. Anderson, D.D.S., M.S., M.Ed.

Journal of Dental Education, August 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 8, 988-993

This article is intended to stimulate dialogue within the intertwined dental practice and dental education communities about our evolving health care system and dentistry’s role within this system as it reconfigures in response to a complex interplay of influences. The changing dental disease burden in the United States is analyzed with consideration of how evolution in disease prevalence influences societal need for dental services and the resulting potential impact on the types of services provided and the education of future dental practitioners. Read more.

Creating the Dental School Faculty of the Future: A Guide for the Perplexed

Charles N. Bertolami, D.D.S., D.Med.Sc.

Journal of Dental Education, October 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 10, 1267-1280

Building the faculty of the future has to be rooted in understanding the nature of future oral health delivery practices. Unfortunately, no one can reliably predict that future. Accepting any given scenario inevitably requires a leap of faith, but the cost of guessing wrong is high. In considering full-time academic careers, students are often not well prepared to make such a definitive choice. Read more. 

Revisiting the National Board Dental Examination

Laura M. Neumann, D.D.S., M.P.H. and R. Lamont MacNeil, D.D.S., M.Dent.Sc.

Journal of Dental Education, October 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 10, 1281-1292

The National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) assists state boards of dentistry in determining the qualifications of dentists for initial licensure. These examinations have been used for a number of purposes well beyond the assessment of the knowledge and abilities for entry-level dental practice. The article explores the uses and misuses of the National Boards and the relationship between dental licensure examinations and dental curricula. Read more. Read more. 

Realigning the National Board Dental Examination with Contemporary Dental Education and Practice

R. Lamont MacNeil, D.D.S., M.Dent.Sc. and Laura M. Neumann, D.D.S., M.P.H.

Journal of Dental Education, October 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 10, 1293-1298

Although the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) was developed for the purpose of supporting the dental licensure process, it can have significant influence on dental school curricula. Efforts to revise and enhance dental curricula, of necessity, must engage stakeholder communities and promote an assessment process that is both valid and relevant to contemporary dental practice. Read more. 

Faculty Development to Support Curriculum Change and Ensure the Future Vitality of Dental Education

Frank W. Licari, D.D.S., M.P.H., M.B.A.

Journal of Dental Education, December 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 12, 1509-1512

For meaningful curriculum change to occur in dental schools, faculty must go through a process of new skills development that will prepare them to teach differently and to assess students differently than they have before. Curriculum change and the faculty development process must have the support of the dental school’s leadership and become a core value of the school’s culture. Read more. 

Does Faculty Development Enhance Teaching Effectiveness?

ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education, et al.

Journal of Dental Education, December 1, 2007. Vol. 71, No. 12, 1513-1533

Academic dentists and members of the practice community have been hearing, for more than a decade, that our educational system is in trouble and that the profession has lost its vision and may be wavering in the achievement of its goals. A core of consistently recommended reforms has framed the discussion of future directions for dental education, but as yet, most schools report little movement toward implementation of these reforms in spite of persistent advocacy. Read more.

The Quality of Dental Faculty Work-Life: Report on the 2007 Dental School Faculty Work Environment Survey

N. Karl Haden, Ph.D., William Hendricson, M.S., M.A., Richard R. Ranney, D.D.S., M.S., Adriana Vargas, D.D.S., Lina Cardenas, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., William Rose, D.D.S., Ridley Ross, D.D.S. and Edward Funk, D.D.S.

Journal of Dental Education, May 1, 2008. Vol. 72, No. 5, 514-531

The report is based on the most extensive research to date on faculty satisfaction in the dental school environment. The purpose of the study was to assess faculty perceptions and recommendations related to work environment, sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and professional development needs. Read more.