Innovations in dental education in the United States

The amount of information which dental teachers wish students to absorb creates undesirable congestion of the curriculum. Individuals learn at different rates and if the course is designed for the average student, the better students are insufficiently challenged while the poor learner is left floundering. This problem is being met by the development of flexible, individualized instruction. As a result teachers are obliged to examine critically their goals and functions. If objectives are set for each course, teaching is planned to meet the objectives and methods of evaluation developed which are meaningful to the student, many of the criticisms laid by dentists against their education will be met. During the last decade the teaching of community dentistry has been developed in almost all dental schools as has the emphasis laid on preventive dentistry. In clinical teaching students are being introduced to patient care at an earlier stage resulting in better motivation and greater enthusiasm for the earlier parts of the course. Comprehensive patient care, the importance of occlusal dysfunction, the care of the handicapped and the utilization of auxiliary personnel are other areas of increasing importance. A significant development is the growing provision for an elective period during which the student may pursue his own particular interest.