Baum B J
Clinical Investigations and Patient Care Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1190, USA.
J Public Health Dent. 1996;56(5 Spec No):286-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1996.tb02453.x.
Dental education is at a critical juncture. The success of water fluoridation has reduced the caries burden of Americans and, consequently, has raised questions about the disproportionate technical emphasis on treating the sequelae of caries in US dental schools. Additionally, several powerful external factors-such as changing demographics, advances in biological science, fundamental changes in our health care delivery system, and a modest US economy-are forcing dental educators to question the appropriateness of retaining the current dental curriculum into the 21st century. The author considers these factors, suggests what type of dentist will be needed by society in approximately 20 years, and concludes that today's dental educational system is inadequate to produce such a dentist. Several elements, in addition to technical excellence, are required for the dental curriculum, including major changes in pedagogy, relevant science training, practical fluency in medicine, an increased mix of stomatologic skills, and broader contact with other health care providers.
牙科教育正处于关键节点。饮水加氟的成功减轻了美国人的龋齿负担，因此，人们对美国牙科学校在治疗龋齿后遗症方面不成比例的技术重点提出了质疑。此外，一些强大的外部因素——如人口结构变化、生物科学进步、我们医疗保健提供系统的根本性变革以及美国经济适度放缓——正迫使牙科教育工作者质疑将当前牙科课程延续到21世纪的适当性。作者考虑了这些因素，提出了大约20年后社会将需要何种类型的牙医，并得出结论，当今的牙科教育系统不足以培养出这样的牙医。除了卓越的技术外，牙科课程还需要几个要素，包括教学法的重大变革、相关的科学培训、医学实践流利程度、口腔技能组合的增加以及与其他医疗保健提供者更广泛的接触。
