ADA.org: Future of Dentistry Full Report

FUTURE OFDENTISTRY

for practitioners is critical. In addition, these
resources play a lead role in maintaining and cat-
alyzing needed international collaborations in
research and education.

Broad Recommendation-3: Strengthen and expand
dentistry's research and education capabilities.

Strategy

u Augment resources for the dental research and
education infrastructure, giving priority to those
aspects which warrant immediate attention and
resources. Funding for rapidly emerging clinical
research opportunities is insufficient. Facilities need
to be refurbished, replaced and modernized. New
technologies, such as information technology and
research equipment, need to be developed and
adopted. Research and educational workforce
issues need to be addressed. Collaborations among
institutions should be encouraged.

u Enhance the visibility and prominence of dental
schools at academic health centers. Dental schools
are the institutions where the majority of dental
research is conducted and are critical members of
their academic health centers. They should become
more prominent through their education, communi-
ty service and research functions.

u Strengthen the interaction between research and
education. Effective ways to accelerate the transfer
of science findings into the dental curriculum should
be developed and implemented.

u Develop new approaches to facilitate the transfer
of emerging scientific knowledge into clinical prac-
tice. Oral health science and technology transfer
centers could be established to promote the effective
and accelerated transfer and adoption of research
findings into practice.

Dental Workforce.............................................................................................................................

Having a responsive, competent and "elastic"
dental workforce is key to meeting the needs of the
public. The rapidly changing environment and
emerging science and technology base continually
place new demands on the existing and developing
workforce. The numbers and types of personnel
needed to address oral health improvement and

their ability to meet the needs of the public are but

a few of the many issues.

The issue of local problems being best addressed

and solved with local solutions should be the mind-

set that tempers consideration of solutions. This

includes, but is not limited to, states rights issues in

licensure, use of allied dental personnel, workforce,

and access and financing of dental care for the

underserved. Other than in the area of research

where obvious limitations in resources make this

impractical, this basic concept should prove to be

most efficient.

Broad Recommendation-4: Ensure the develop-

ment of a responsive, competent, diverse, and "elas-

tic" workforce.

Strategy

u Expand efforts to recruit into and retain individ-

uals in dental profession careers. Ideally, the dental

workforce should reflect the ethnic and cultural

diversity of the general population.

u Develop and implement methods to rapidly and

effectively address the distribution and mobility of

the dental workforce.

u Increase the availability and use of allied dental

personnel, under appropriate supervision by dentists.

This approach is a quick and cost-effective way to

increase the "elasticity" of the dental workforce.

u Establish and expand efforts to recruit and maintain

an adequate dental research and education workforce.

Financial Resources for the Dental Profession...................................................................................

Adequate funding is necessary to meet the many

needs facing the dental profession's ability to

address the public's needs. Underserved popula-

tions are restricted from needed access and desired

care as a result of inadequate funding for programs,

facilities and services. In addition, the dental

schools are hard pressed to find adequate funds to

modernize facilities that have fallen into disrepair.

There is a shortage of faculty members in the edu-

cational institutions and researchers who are so vital

to the advancement of dental science.

Vision and Recommendations