A predental career program in a postgraduate institution.

Providing potential dental school applicants with a realistic exposure to the practice of dentistry, in cooperation with undergraduate career counseling offices, is one way to ensure adequate recruitment of qualified and motivated individuals. The Department of General Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Center has operated such a structured volunteer program for interested high school and college students for the past three years. Twenty-six students have completed the program, and their responses have been extremely positive. In almost all cases, the students have been valuable and popular adjuncts in the operation of the postgraduate training program. The experience gives the students insight into the profession of dentistry and provides them with a rational basis for making career decisions.