The Impact of Research on the Future of Dental Education: How Research and Innovation Shape Dental Education and the Dental Profession

Abstract

Scientific inquiry and discovery are the fuel for education, research, technology, and health care in all the health professions: dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health sciences. The progression of discoveries from basic or fundamental to clinical research is followed by the progression from clinical to implementation and improved health outcomes and processes. Generally, implementation science is the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of research findings (e.g., basic, translational, behavioral, socioeconomic, and clinical) as well as other related evidence-based practices into standards of care, thereby improving the quality, effectiveness, and cost benefits of health care services. There is little doubt that science has and will continue to provide the essential fuel for innovations that lead to new and improved technologies for risk assessment, prevention, diagnosis, treatments and therapeutics, and implementation for addressing oral and craniofacial diseases and disorders. The history of the U.S. dental profession reviewed in this article gives testimony to the continued need for investments in scientific inquiry that accelerate progress in comprehensive health care for all people. This article was written as part of the project "Advancing Dental Education in the 21 Century."

Oral Health Research and Scholarship in 2040: Executive Summary

“…6 With the formation of the American Dental Association (ADA) 157 years ago and such organizations as the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), American Association for Dental Research (AADR), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NI-DCR), dentistry gained respect and influence as a science-driven health care discipline. 1 As the scientific foundation of dentistry became more robust, the profession of dentistry gained more credibility as a profession. 8 Dental research matured from a regional, proprietary responsibility to a nationally recognized effort that impacted the public good.…”

“…1 Moreover, advances in dental research have contributed significantly to our understanding of the impact of oral disease on overall health. 1 Moreover, advances in dental research have contributed significantly to our understanding of the impact of oral disease on overall health.…”

“…Technology that has enabled deep interrogation of the genome has revealed gene loci associated with infectious and complex human diseases. 1 The recognition by the National Dental Association (NDA) of the need to prevent caries in children led to the creation of the Indian Health Service and the NIH in 1930. With the development of formal dental curricula, dental school faculty members were better able to address the expanding oral health needs of a growing U.S. population.…”

“…1,5 While there are several single gene disorders that affect the orofacial structures, as genomic medicine continues to evolve, a much more complex genetic basis for many of the most common dental diseases will no doubt be revealed. 1,5 While there are several single gene disorders that affect the orofacial structures, as genomic medicine continues to evolve, a much more complex genetic basis for many of the most common dental diseases will no doubt be revealed.…”

Leveling the Three‐Legged Stool

“…If we view these three pillars as three legs of a stool, it is clear from the articles about research in this project that one leg of the stool-the one representing research-is much shorter than the other two. [3][4][5][6][7][8] A stool with a slightly short leg is uneven and aggravating, but if one leg is extremely short (or even absent), the stool becomes useless. This is an oversimplification, but it highlights the disparity among U.S. dental schools, with fewer than a quarter of them receiving more than half of national research funding.…”