Predoctoral fixed prosthodontics education.

All current prosthodontic services will be needed well into the 21st century because millions of people are still without complete dentitions. However, knowledge of current and projected dental health needs indicates that the extent of usage of certain prosthodontic procedures will change because the number of edentulous patients will decrease. Presently there is considerable need and demand for extensive prosthodontic services and the need has been projected to grow. The demand for fixed prosthodontic services will likely increase in the future, particularly with the increased usage of new materials and treatment modalities. Recent data obtained from the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation indicate that failure rates on Part II of the National Board Dental Examinations and the prosthodontics section of Part II have remained relatively constant from 1980 to 1987. Total Part II failure rates for this time period have only ranged from 8.31 to 9.91 and on the prosthodontics section from 2.10 to 2.74. While these data do not predictably reflect clinical and technical skills or a knowledge of the most current didactic information, they do indicate that adequate knowledge had been provided to predoctoral students regarding the fundamental principles of prosthodontics. However, reductions have been made in prosthodontic curricular time. With the current escalation of knowledge in prosthodontics and allied areas and the increasing time constraints, it is becoming increasingly difficult to teach a thorough understanding of the basics and exposure to new developments. Any further reductions in curricular time will significantly compromise educational quality.