Strategic partnerships between academic dental institutions and communities

Autor: Raymond K. Simmons, Elizabeth S. Pilcher, Peter M. Loomer, Sharon C. Siegel, Janet E. Leigh, Sharon P. Turner, Bradford R. Johnson, M. Jane Gillespie
Rok vydání: 2007
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Journal of the American Dental Association. 138:1366-1371
ISSN: 0002-8177
DOI: 10.14219/jada.archive.2007.0054
Popis: Background A landmark report from the U.S. surgeon general identified disparities in oral health care as an urgent and high-priority problem. A parallel development in the dental education community is the growing consensus that significant curriculum reform is long overdue. Methods The authors performed a literature review and conducted a series of structured interviews with key institutional and community stakeholders from seven geographical regions of the United States. They investigated a wide range of partnerships between community-based dental clinics and academic dental institutions. Results On the basis of their interviews and literature review, the authors identified common themes and made recommendations to the dental community to improve access to care while enhancing the dental curriculum. Conclusions Reducing disparities in access to oral health care and the need for reform of the dental curriculum may be addressed, in part, by a common solution: strategic partnerships between academic dental institutions and communities. Practice Implications Organized dentistry and individual practitioners, along with other major stakeholders, can play a significant role in supporting reform of the dental curriculum and improving access to care.
Databáze: OpenAIRE