Faculty and staff development in dental education

While five dental schools in the United States closed, and the total number of faculty shrunk from 3789 to 3335 in the last decade, the overall quality of faculty went up. This is because of a healthy turnover of staff; about half of the new faculty are recruited from advanced education programs, and present faculty members retire at a higher rate. Dental schools are in the midst of a revolution of health care delivery resulting from changes in disease patterns, in particular decreased caries prevalence in children, less edentulousness in adults, and increasing numbers of aging, medically compromised patients. These changes have an effect on faculty buildup and development, and there is a growing need for teachers who are more knowledgeable in medicine and better skilled in adult general dentistry. Clinical faculty will be trained in treating medically compromised patients and will be better acquainted with subjects such as oral medicine, medical emergencies, pain and anxiety control, pharmacology, anesthesia, and geriatric dentistry. Staff and faculty should also be qualified in management skills and cost effectiveness.