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This study describes the steps taken to measure the integrity of an intermediate concept measure and test the assessment strategy of a well-validated dental ethics curriculum. Because this curriculum, which had been in place for 15 years, had consistently been shown to influence moral judgment, it was posited that a cross-sectional comparison between senior dental students and entering freshmen would show the educational effects of the ethics curriculum on intermediate concepts and make it possible to examine whether the acquisition of more general philosophical ideals enhances a student's ability to select appropriate actions and justifications in unfamiliar situations. Using a five-step process, the study presented five cases to 12 dental residents and four faculty, and their action choices and justifications were ranked. These ranked responses were then submitted to a second group consisting of two faculty and three advanced residents. In a final step, 18 teachers of dental ethics were asked to respond to the cases. The findings supported the hypothesis that courses that present intermediate ethical concepts enhance the ability to resolve familiar problems, but transfer to unfamiliar problems depends on whether students understand more advanced conceptual frameworks. Four tables present case data; one sample case is appended. (Contains 28 references.) (CH)

This study examined the relationship of dental students' (N=145) perceptions of how much control they have over their environments to their academic achievement and to such demographic variables as age, gender, race, or ethnicity. Subjects were given a questionnaire to obtain demographic information and Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. Results indicated that the students tended toward an external locus of control. There were no statistically significant differences between the demographic variables and locus of control. The study did find a statistically significant relationship between locus of control scores and preclinical grades, with students classified as internally oriented achieving higher preclinical course grades than those classified as externally oriented. A table lists locus of control scores for age and gender. (Contains nine references.) (CH)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of spatial ability level and window presentation style of tiled and overlapped computer displays on the achievement of dental hygiene students. Participants were 43 first-term Dental Hygiene students enrolled full-time at a University School of Dental Medicine. Phase one of this project consisted of administering the Differential Aptitude Test: Space Relations Subtest to assess each subject's spatial ability. Individuals' scores were examined using a frequency distribution. Participants who ranked greater than the median were classified as having high spatial ability. Those scoring less than the median were placed in the low spatial ability group. Two HyperCard stacks were produced targeting the topic of Ergonomics in Dentistry. The stacks were designed with identical content but differed in information display; two window presentation styles were used. Subjects were randomly assigned by spatial ability level to one of the two treatment groups: tiled or overlapping displays. During phase two, each subject executed the corresponding computer-based tutorial program and completed an identical module test. The tiled and overlapping windowing environments appeared to have served as external memory devices to the user's internal memory source, thereby extending the participant's internal memory capability. Windows appear to alleviate, in part, the memory load of the learner by serving as "markers" of unfinished tasks. Subjects who demonstrated higher spatial ability skills obtained greater educational outcomes from the overlapped window formats. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/AEF)

This paper describes RaPiD, a computer-aided assistant for the design of dental prostheses called removable partial dentures. The user manipulates icons directly to indicate the desired design solution to a given clinical situation. A developing design is represented as a logic database of components in a design; expert rules are applied as integrity constraints governing valid database transactions/design alterations. RaPiD has two modes of operation: manual mode designed for educational use (at either "student" or "expert" level), and automatic, which is intended for dentists in practice. In automatic mode, the dentist enters key clinical information, after which the system takes over and completes the design. Contravention of design rules is presented to the user in a critiquing style. The critiquing style strategies form the basis for the system's use in undergraduate and graduate dental education. Critiquing strategies used include: (1) a critique is issued only when the user has completed the proposed alteration; (2) a critique is issued immediately upon the user's radical misuse of a tool; (3) critiquing dynamically without negotiation with the user; (4) critiquing requested by the user upon completion of a design session, or at certain other stages in the design process; and (5) optional critiquing, requested by the user who wishes to compare his design with that which would have been produced independently by the system. An assessment of the educational effectiveness is planned. Expanding the range of design rules in RaPiD so that it becomes comprehensive is a current priority, as is the introduction of critiquing strategies (4) and (5), as well as completion of the automatic mode of operation. The extensive use and testing of RaPID, already carried out, show it to be a versatile and robust knowledge-based system. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/MAS)

This document provides selected information on characteristics of health personnel disciplines, students preparing for these disciplines, their schools, projections of the personnel supply in each discipline to the year 2020, and discussions of whether the U.S. requirements for health personnel are likely to be met. Following an introduction, chapter 2 provides an overview of major personnel developments, including trends in education and training, the current supply of health care personnel, issues affecting health personnel, and health personnel in the coming years. Current and emerging health issues and personnel issues are covered in chapters 3 and 4. Among the health issues covered are an aging population, infant mortality, human immune deficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, substance abuse, access to health care, a changing health delivery system, and quality assurance and effectiveness in medical practice. The personnel issues addressed include declining applicants and enrollments, the shortage of nurses, primary health care concerns, concerns regarding allied health and public health labor supply, personnel for health care in geriatrics, and underrepresented minorities in the health professions. Chapter 5 discusses the data and methodology used to produce this report. The next 11 chapters provide information on physicians, dental personnel, nursing personnel, public health personnel, allied health personnel, optometrists, pharmacists, podiatrists, veterinarians, chiropractors, and physician assistants. The document contains reference lists that follow each chapter, 95 tables, and 75 figures. (CML)

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of dental students, faculty, and graduate students on the development of a sense of touch in dental practice. Eight focus groups were held: four were comprised of third-year dental students (n=22), two of advanced, general dentistry postgraduate students (n=11), and two of dental faculty (n=8). Each group discussed the same six questions concerning the use of touch with patients. Dental students, graduate students, and faculty all described two basic forms of touch reassuring and procedural. Some students said they avoided touching patients as much as possible, and both students and faculty noted that during the clinical portion of the curriculum, there is no "formal" instruction or emphasis on learning how to touch patients in the dental setting. The findings suggest two possible reasons why students struggle to learn how to touch patients while in school: (1) the culture of the dental school, and (2) the "fine line" that appears to prevent students from asking for guidance or faculty from offering guidance to students. A commonly expressed recommendation was that students should have earlier clinical experience. (Contains 34 references.) (DB)

Recent trends in dental education and the supply of dentists for the South are examined to assist state policymakers and school officials. The supply of dentists has increased faster than the population over the past decade and will continue to increase through 1990; in the south the rate of growth exceeded the national rate. At the same time, the demand for dental services has declined, primarily due to a slowing in population growth, a depressed economy, and reduced dental disease for some groups. The ratios of dentists to the population vary significantly among states and within states, and shortages of dentists in inner-city and rural areas have been documented. Changes in the population and economic base of the state influence the demand for dental services. The scope and number of public dental service programs and the availability of dental insurance also affect demand. The current decline in dental school enrollments and the increase in tuition will have an adverse effect on access to dental education for minorities. Recommendations are offered concerning opportunities for minorities who want to study dentistry, educational supply and demand in dental schools, the distribution of dentists to underserved areas, the efficiency of state-supported dental schools, and general practice residency positions. (SW)

Dental school enrollments and the supply and demand of dentists in the United States and the south are examined. The growth in the supply of dentists in the South is related to an improved economy in this region and a rapid population increase. In addition to producing a large number of dental school graduates, the South is attracting graduates of schools outside the South. A reduced demand for dental services is linked to improved oral hygiene, the wide use of flourides, and the fact that dental care is often deferred because dental expenses usually are paid by the consumer. Between 1980 and 1984, first-year dental school enrollments declined 16.3 percent in the United States and 20.3 percent in the South. The number of applicants has decreased from 14,807 in 1975-1976 to 6,200 for 1985-1986. In 1976, dental schools accepted only 40 percent of applicants, while 77 percent were accepted in 1984. Reasons for declining application rates include: rapid increases in dental school costs; high debt among dental school graduates; and reduced earning potential in dentistry. Since dental school enrollments are likely to continue to decline, options that might be helpful to states with public dental schools are identified. Data on 1980-1984 first-year and total dental school enrollments in 14 southern states and the United States are included, along with data on cost-per-student. (SW)

Efforts of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to reduce the delinquency rate in the Health Professions and Nursing Student Loan programs are described. The following activities have been implemented: provision of technical assistance to schools, modifications of the loan program regulations, proposed legislative amendments, liaison with financial aid and fiscal officers to update them on regulation/legislation changes and program policy, a revision of "Student Financial Aid Guidelines," and identification of federal employees who have delinquent student loans. The Annual Operating Report for the period ending June 30, 1983, was revised to reflect changes in new regulations and program policy and to monitor more closely the progress of schools in their efforts to lower delinquency rates. DHHS is unwilling to impose on schools the penalty provided for them in the current regulations, until a policy decision is made as to how the delinquency rate will be calculated. Data are presented that show dollar delinquency rates in 1981 and 1982 when a loan was delinquent if a payment was 90 or more days overdue, and in 1983 when a loan was delinquent if a payment was 60 or more days overdue. The data indicate that considerable progress among the schools has been made in reducing their loan delinquency rates. (SW)

A study tested the uses and gratifications theoretical perspective--that motivations affect media use which in turn influences the effects of that use. The American Student Dental Association targeted its publications to different subaudiences and provided a grant to the University of Texas at Austin to study (1) whether the differentiation between types of students reflected the students' actual motivations to use dental publications, and (2) their actual reading behaviors. Subjects--504 dental students--were surveyed concerning their motivations for reading nine dental magazines, their interest in various kinds of editorial content, and their actual reading habits. Motivations were measured by self reports, in which respondents were asked to rate 16 different reasons for reading dental publications on five-point Likert scales. Significant differences in motivations for reading dental publications were found between lower classmen (sophomores and juniors) and seniors and recent graduates. The study shows that knowing readers' motivations for reading dental publications can help predict those readers' interests in various kinds of content and their evaluations of and usage of various dental publications. Publishers, advertisers, and academic magazine researchers should be interested in the uses and gratifications theoretical approach because it can help publishers direct the editorial content of their publications to secure their base of readers; it can help advertisers predict where their advertisements will be the most effective; and it can help academic researchers better understand the needs of an audience. (EL)