No abstract

The study suggests that dental students would value international exchanges, which may enhance students' knowledge and self-awareness related to cultural competence.

In this study, 491 dental students at one dental school in the United States and one in Bulgaria were surveyed to assess their perceptions about the mission of dental schools to advance global dentistry and philanthropy. The study included questions about prior involvement in charitable dental missions. Many respondents felt that their dental school does not advance global dentistry nor adequately teaches students the virtues of philanthropy and volunteerism. The majority agreed, however, that dental schools have a moral obligation to raise the level of oral health care worldwide and help underserved communities access basic dental care. They reported that an opportunity to spend a semester at a foreign dental school would enhance their dental education in ways that are not presently fulilled; help them better understand cultural diversity; and teach them about philanthropy and volunteerism. In their opinion, international exchange programs that provide clinical rotations and ield experiences in economically challenged and underserved areas of the world would a) foster the global advancement of dentistry; b) promote an appreciation for cultural diversity and socioeconomic disparity in the communities that graduates will be serving; and c) teach students the virtues of philanthropy and volunteerism. This study may contribute to understanding factors affecting student involvement in programs to advance global dentistry.Dr. Ivanoff is Associate Professor,

Child abuse and neglect are increasing in prevalence not only in the United States but also worldwide, and it is believed that many cases of child abuse and neglect may go undetected and unreported. Clinical observations may be unclear or inadequately documented, and parents or other caretaker’s reports may be inaccurate or deceptive. Physicians, including those in preclinical and clinical training are often in a pivotal position to assess and report suspected child abuse and neglect (SCAN). Medical students, however, upon entering their clinical years (typically the third and fourth years) of the medical education curriculum, who may receive some didactic and clinical orientation for the presence of nutritional and malnutrition related disorders, often seem unprepared to detect, assess, and/or report SCAN. It is not the fault of the student doctor that they are unprepared, but instead more likely the Institutions where they receive their medical training failure to incorporate options in forensic medicine and SCAN in the curriculum. In addition, the health care and legal systems that provide treatment have yet to reach a universal and cooperative protocol to assess procedures and establish protocols to report SCAN; and the medical education system has yet to mandate and integrate SCAN awareness, assessment, clinical training and reporting into the medical curriculum, particularly prior to medical students entering their clinical rotations. This deficiency in the preparation of medical students may lead to more unreported cases of SCAN and more children becoming left as victims of repeated child abuse and neglect. The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness of the deficiency in the medical students’ knowledge base of indicators of abuse or neglect and incorporation of clinical training and awareness of SCAN, as well as provide them with a foundation in the presentation of child abuse and neglect in the clinical setting. Support or Funding Information Supported by Institutional Resources of the University of Science Arts & Technology, Montserrat, British West Indies A Medical Student Primer on Detecting and Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN)AIvanoffEC Paediatrics8984989

The parent(s) and/or guardian(s) of Ring‐14 patients all signed appropriate consent form(s) prior to the study. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this extensive study was to investigate the manifestations and challenges faced by subjects suffering from the rare, genetic condition known as Ring‐14 Chromosomal Syndrome, caused by an abnormal ring formation of chromosome fourteen (14), by comparing signs and symptoms exhibited, including, but not limited to the following: phenotypic similarities; physical appearances and properties; abnormal oral manifestations (such as delayed development and eruption of teeth, excessive swelling of the oral mucosa (periodontitis and gingivitis), and presence of any atypical oral lesions and /or sores), maxillofacial characteristics; specific types of seizures most commonly experienced; onset, duration and frequency of seizures; most common race(s) affected; comprehension capabilities (such as the ability to speak, read, or write, and IQ/intelligence quotient), gender; age, presence of lymphedema; mobility characteristics; and existence and range of decreased muscle tone. The parent(s) and/or guardian(s) of Ring‐14 patients all signed appropriate consent form(s) prior to the study, which was also approved by the Human Subjects Committee of the University. The information gathered and analyzed from this study is intended to raise an awareness of this extremely rare, yet highly complex genetic condition and allow health professionals to gain familiarity with the signs and symptoms exhibited by these patients to encourage genetic testing early on, upon suspicion of it's potential presence; thus, limiting the occurrence of a late, or misdiagnosis. In addition to educating health professionals and those in training to appropriately examine these patients, as many of them are prone to seizures, behavioral outbursts, and are unable to speak; and finally, to challenge the current belief that this syndrome is limited to pediatric patients, by documenting and introducing current statistics of those affected by Ring‐14 Syndrome, as several cases remain diagnosed, yet undocumented in the current medical literature. Support or Funding Information Support provided by the University of Science Arts and Technology, Montserrat, British West Indies.