The Journal of the American College of Dentists
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Individuals lacking access to dentists may use hospital emergency departments (EDs) or physicians (MDs) for the management of their dental problems. This study examined visits by minority and low-income individuals to physicians and hospital emergency departments for the treatment of dental problems with the goal of exploring the nature of treatment provided and patient satisfaction with the care received. ⋯ Poor/minority individuals seek relief from oral pain through MDs/ EDs while recognizing that such care is not definitive.
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The California schools' accomplishments in the national Dental Pipeline Program led to funding by The California Endowment of a California Pipeline Phase II program. There are a number of unique aspects of this program that provide great promise for the future of dental education and oral health for underserved populations. First, they include the collaboration of the five and soon to be six California dental schools in multiple areas. ⋯ Second, collaboration has been established among the California dental schools and other Dental Pipeline Program partners, including the California Dental Association, the California Primary Care Association, the Hispanic Dental Association, the National Dental Association, and other community partners. This has created a major force in California that has the ability to influence strategy, policy, funding, care, and education in a way that has not been previously possible. Lessons learned from this program will have broad implications for health and educational strategy.
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In 2006 a researcher at the main hospital in Norway admitted that he had forged data in a study published in the medical journal The Lancetthat was co-authored by 13 others from both Europe and America. The researcher, dually qualified in dentistry and medicine, immediately admitted fabricating the results. A Commission of Enquiry reported that most of his publications were fabricated or manipulated and that he was alone in the fraud. ⋯ In addition, commentaries have appeared in national newspapers as well as in medical and dental scientific journals. Various issues have been discussed, including the fact that editors and referees in scientific publications rarely have the opportunity to check raw data, which emphasizes the need for data confirmation by independent groups. These reflections have been fruitful for the community, although it will not, nor can it, prevent fraud in the future.
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Dental Pipeline Program: a national program linking dental schools with the issue of access to care.
The Dental Pipeline Program grew out of work at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in the 1990s designed to address access to oral healthcare needs in New York City. Since then the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the W. K. ⋯ The Dental Pipeline Program has involved 23 dental schools in two phases. The goal of the program is to address issues of access (a) by providing dental care with volunteers in communities in need, (b) by seeking either full- or part-time positions in community health facilities, and (c) by preparing dentists to be advocates for the needs of the underserved. This is a preliminary report of the types of curricular changes that have been introduced and some promising results in terms of oral health care provided, minority enrollments in dental schools, and expressed intentions to practice in underserved areas.