| Popis: |
The place of orthodontics in the undergraduate curriculum may be more sharply defined when other departments in the school give fuller recognition to certain biologic fundamentals. This can be achieved by allotting more time to basic material in the curriculum, and by integrating those concepts with clinical teaching. This would relieve the orthodontist of teaching subject matter which they must now cover if students are to get it at all. Orthodontics would then be presented for what it is—a complex clinical field which involves specialized training and skill—a line of endeavor which the general practitioner cannot hope to practice, but one with which he should have more than a casual acquaintance. The Preventive Curriculum at the University of California has shown itself to be an effective program for training specialists in orthodontics, even though the original intention of its sponsors were somewhat different. The plan has distinct advantages over the usual graduate or postgraduate course taken after the dental degree has been won; not only do the students have a longer period of contact with patients under treatment, thus seeing a higher percentage of cases through to completion under supervision, but they also have a longer period of time for mulling over problems and establishing close rapport with instructors. Certification of dental specialists by qualified boards has had an auspicious beginning, and its rapid growth in the immediate future may be expected. The mutual interest of established diplomates, prospective diplomates, and educational institutions must receive careful consideration in the coming years of rapid expansion. Because the boards and the specialties which they represent secure their strength primarily from the respect they can command, wielding no police power, they may expect a certain amount of harassment from those who are specialists by declaration only. In localities where the irresponsibilities of pretenders threaten the public welfare and the reputations of properly qualified men, state licensure for specialists should be considered. This is a dismal recommendation to make when there seem to be more than enough laws already, but grave ailments sometimes require strong medicine. |
