At present, there is no specific recommendation for sterilization of extracted human teeth used in dental technique courses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether autoclaving would be effective in the sterilization of extracted teeth without compromising the characteristics that make their use in clinical simulations desirable. (MLW)

Courses developed by the Department of Periodontics of the State University of New York at Stony Brook that are intended to stimulate college students to consider careers in dentistry are described. Four types of courses are offered for students interested in research. (MLW)

A program in one of the National Institutes of Health offers clinical training fellowships as a means of training potential dental school faculty by providing both unique clinical skills and high-quality research experience. The program was developed in response to a perceived need for change in academic dentistry. (MSE)

A program of small grants to dental students to attract beginning researchers to the field of quality assurance has shown that recruitment from an existing student pool is rapid and inexpensive and works best when it uses volunteers, has short cycles and rapid turnaround, and uses the dental communication network. (MSE)

The valuable role that predoctoral dental and dental hygiene student involvement in specialized hospital programs can play in the educational process is described. The University of Maryland Dental School program emphasizes the involvement of students in major clinical research related to cancer patients. (Author/MLW)

To arrive at a learning situation conducive to a scientific approach in dental school teaching of diagnosis, treatment, prescription, and judgment of prognosis, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific environment in dental schools, increase scientifically trained faculty, and guarantee student involvement in research. (MLW)

Guidelines of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research are discussed. It is concluded that dentistry must not uncritically accept guidelines meant for a broader class of research, that guidelines can be misapplied, and that researchers must educate themselves on the Commission…

A foundation program to bring research on health services and policy issues into the domain of clinical scholarship is described. The principal approach is to train young clinicians for academic careers with major responsibilities in health studies at university health sciences centers. (MSE)

A meeting of dental school deans concerning relationships with the National Institute of Dental Research is reported. Purposes were to explore further integration of dental research with dental education, enhance dental schools' research potential, and assess current and future impact of research on dental education. Themes and comments are…

Alternative sources and innovative programs are suggested to improve or maintain adequate research support, including hard funding in the institution's operating budget, private gifts, Biomedical Research Support Grants from the National Institutes of Health, and applied research supported by industrial clients. (MSE)

Responding to a report on the Clinical Research Training Program of the National Institutes of Health, the author finds that the low applicant rate among dental students is due less to lack of interest in the program or its emphasis on research but more to a program structure modeled on a medical school rather than a dental school curriculum. (MSE)

A study compared outcomes of the Ohio State University predoctoral dental student research program with those of the University of Iowa by examining the career choices, scholarly activity, and attitudes of participants and nonparticipants. Implications for improving research orientation and student participation are examined. (MSE)

Presents proceedings of the American Association of Dental Schools' International Women's Leadership Conference. Addresses, panel presentations, and general-sessions topics included leadership training and promotion for women in dental education, women's health issues and research, the glass ceiling, infrastructures for research and training,…

An expert panel, convened by the National Institutes of Health to address concerns about the future of clinical research, describes a training program at the National Institutes of Health that also included dental students. Possible reasons for low application rates among dental students are ascribed to inadequate dissemination of information,…

A study found the ideal combination of characteristics associated with dental research productivity was $420,000 or more in funding from the National Institute of Dental Research, a student/faculty ratio of 4.75 or less, a library with at least 10,000 dental-related books, and medical school faculty teaching basic science. (MSE)