Curriculum changes in dental education in Latin America.

In Latin America great emphasis has been placed upon relating dental education directly to community needs. Curricula are no longer defined solely by professionals, for society too is playing a greater part in curriculum design. Educational objectives are being met through the solution of community problems. Emphasis upon the tooth as the focus of dental education has been abandoned. The old approach of finding the right patient to satisfy the student's training in technique is being replaced by a philosophy of total dental care. In this way there is better integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes in dental education. An emphasis on primary care is now very much to the fore in Latin America. New categories of personnel have been brought into the teaching programmes and their contributions monitored. The physical facilities for dental care have been greatly modified in recent years. The importance of staff development programmes to the acceptance and implementation of new curriculum ideas is stressed.