Upon entering a career in dental education, the novice academic is expected to successfully navigate an often unfamiliar environment of teaching, scholarly activity and research, as well as perform administrative tasks and participate in both university and community service. 1 The job demands and pressures placed on modern day dental educators continue to diversify and expand due to advancements in educational technology, evolving dental curricula, and changes in healthcare delivery systems. 1-4 With little to no previous experience and coming from diverse backgrounds, 5 junior faculty can readily feel overwhelmed, unsupported and discouraged in their day-today work life, negatively impacting job performance, satisfaction and retention. 4-8 Further adding to the problem, dental faculty vacancies and shortages of a faculty pool have been well documented for decades, 4,5 yet the constraints of increasing class sizes and the opening

Purpose/Objectives Competence in nitrous oxide/oxygen (N2O/O2) inhalation sedation is expected of dental graduates, but applying what is learned through didactic instruction to patient care can be challenging without firsthand experience. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of experiential learning on dental students’ confidence and sense of preparedness for administration of N2O/O2. Methods A biphasic, mixed methods study was conducted at a Midwestern dental school and included 2 cohorts of dental students. In Phase 1 (spring 2019), a cross‐sectional study design was used to survey outgoing third‐year and fourth‐year students who received didactic N2O/O2 instruction alone. In Phase 2 (summer 2019), a nonrandomized, preintervention‐postintervention study design was used to survey incoming third‐year students before and after a hands‐on N2O/O2 laboratory exercise. Results Of the 79 Phase 1 students (99% response rate), all believed a firsthand learning experience with N2O/O2 during didactic learning would increase their confidence and preparedness when administering to a patient (both P < .001). Of the 41 Phase 2 students (100% response rate), after the lab exercise, all felt that firsthand experience enhanced classroom instruction and increased confidence and preparedness when administering N2O to a patient (all P < .001). Fifty‐six (71%) Phase 1 and 39 (80%) Phase 2 students believed classroom instruction alone was inadequate to prepare them to administer N2O/O2 (both P < .001). Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that experiential learning of N2O/O2 inhalation sedation through a hands‐on laboratory exercise should be incorporated into the predoctoral curricula of dental schools.

Purpose/Objectives Oral health inequities and limited access to care cause patients to seek dental treatment in hospital emergency departments. In addition, conventional clinic models and curricular limitations may result in inadequate experiences for students learning urgent dental care. The aim of the current study was to investigate student perceptions of a novel dental school urgent care clinic model. Methods A mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional study design was used to survey third‐year and fourth‐year students at a Midwest dental school in spring 2020 about their experiences providing patient care in the school's internal urgent care center. Along with a structured curriculum, the urgent care clinic model incorporates an on‐site partnership with a community health center and a hospital emergency department affiliation that serves as a referral base to provide students with their learning experiences. Results Of 81 students, 78 completed the survey (96% response rate). The majority of students treated 50 or more patients. From their urgent care experiences, a majority of students felt prepared to manage patients with acute dental pain and swelling (72/77, 94%), and reported a better understanding of interprofessional collaborations in dentistry (42/77, 55%) and the importance of providing urgent dental care to underserved patients (72/77, 94%). Most students (64/75, 85%) were more likely to offer urgent dental care services to underserved populations in future practice. Conclusion This collaborative school‐based urgent care clinic model incorporating community partnerships provided transformative learning experiences, positively impacted student perceptions of their learning, and influenced future practice behaviors related to urgent dental care.