Introduction to “Advancing Dental Education in the 21^st Century” Project

Abstract

In 1926, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching published a report prepared by William J. Gies, PhD, a professor of biochemistry and founder of the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. The Gies report examined the current status of dental education in the United States and Canada and made recommendations for a new direction. This report led to major improvements in dental education and research and was a critical factor in making dentistry a learned profession. Dental and allied dental education are now challenged by a new set of issues related to financing education, improved oral health, more effective treatment technologies, and a rapidly changing delivery system. In an effort to meet these challenges, this strategic planning project first examined the current status and future trends that are likely to impact the dental profession over the next 25 years. The project was organized into six sections, and 50 authors were invited to prepare 38 articles to address these issues. The executive summaries for each section are being published in the August and September 2017 issues of the Journal of Dental Education, and the background articles are being published in online supplements to those issues. In the next phase of the project, information from the articles will be used to make strategic recommendations to assist dental schools and allied dental education programs in preparing graduates for practice in 2040 and to meet their institutions’ missions for scholarship and service. This introduction presents the project rationale, provides a list of the published articles, and acknowledges the organizations that supported this effort.

“I don't think the problem's the student…I think it's us”: Engaging faculty in curriculum innovation

“…Calls for dental education curriculum reform began almost 100 years ago when the Gies Report published was published 1 . In 2015, the American Dental Education Association launched “Advancing Dental Education in the 21st Century”; this project produced over 40 articles that identified dental education challenges related to rapidly changing healthcare delivery systems, technological advances, and funding shifts 2–7 . Dental education is on the precipice of massive curriculum change processes necessary to ensure graduating oral health professional students are prepared for future healthcare environments and models 5–7 .…”

Oral health care in the 21st century: It is time for the integration of dental and medical education

“…Multiple reports, from the 1995 Institute of Medicine study Dental Education at the Crossroads, 24 to the first-ever Surgeon General's Report 25 on the importance of oral health in 2001, to the recent "Advancing Dental Education in the 21st Century" report 26 have raised the critical issues impeding oral health integration, but offer little guidance for change. The last report, building on the landmark Gies Report of 1926, 27 dentistry's Flexner Report equivalent, started with the premise that dentistry must be like ophthalmology (part of the whole person care team) and not optometry (technical service providers) but fell short on recommendations for change that could address the cultural divide and promote integration.…”

Change Management in Dental Education: A Professional Learning Community

“…A renewed case for change in dental education was made in the 2017 article “Change Is Here: ADEA CCI 2.0—A Learning Community for the Advancement of Dental Education.” 5 This article focused on changes occurring in five domains having a global impact on our society. Recently, 44 articles in Bailit and Formicola's “Advancing Dental Education in the 21 st Century” project addressed the current state of dental education as well as issues impacting the future of the profession 27 . These issues include faculty shortages, changing health care delivery models, curriculum gaps, emerging workforce models, sustainability of educational institution financing, rising student tuition and debt, and insufficient diversity in the profession.…”