title: The case for change in dental education.
abstract: This article introduces a series of white papers developed by the ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation (CCI) to explore the case for change in dental education. This preamble to the series argues that there is a compelling need for rethinking the approach to dental education in the United States. Three issues facing dental education are explored: 1) the challenging financial environment of higher education, making dental schools very expensive and tuition-intensive for universities to operate and producing high debt levels for students that limit access to education and restrict career choices; 2) the profession's apparent loss of vision for taking care of the oral health needs of all components of society and the resultant potential for marginalization of dentistry as a specialized health care service available only to the affluent; and 3) the nature of dental school education itself, which has been described as convoluted, expensive, and often deeply dissatisfying to its students.
authors.affiliation: Associate Dean for Education, Case School of Dental Education, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4905, USA. map6@po.cwru.edu
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pyle
authors.forename: Sandra C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Andrieu
authors.forename: D Gregory
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Chadwick
authors.forename: Jacqueline E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chmar
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Gerald N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Glickman
authors.forename: Joel F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Jerold S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: N Karl
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Haden
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hendricson
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyerowitz
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Tedesco
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Valachovic
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: Ronald L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Winder
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kalkwarf
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D003752:Dental Health Services; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005376:Financial Management / Q000191:economics; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D012575:Schools, Dental / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D013335:Students, Dental; D014481:United States