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Reports on political and economic factors influencing foreign language teaching in the USA. The 1979 TESOL Congress noted increasing interest in English as a foreign or second language, which occasionally runs counter to long-term bilingual teaching programs. Stressed were: the notional-functional method, confluent education, and the "back-to-the-basics" trend. (IFS/WGA)

Aim To test whether titanium-zirconium (TiZr) 3.3 mm diameter implants perform differently from titanium (Ti) 4.1 mm diameter implants with respect to marginal bone level (MBL) and clinical parameters. Material and Methods Forty subjects in need of a single implant-supported crown in the anterior or premolar regions were recruited in two centres. After random allocation, either a Ti or a TiZr implant was placed. Definitive crowns were inserted 6 months after implant placement. Implant survival, change in MBL, clinical parameters and occurrence of adverse events were assessed at the 1-year examination. Results At 1 year, 38 of the 40 included patients were examined (18 Ti and 20 TiZr implants). All the implants were in place and stable. From the implant placement to the 1-year examination, the change of MBL amounted to −0.40 mm in the Ti group and −0.41 mm in the TiZr group. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding the change in MBL, the clinical parameters and the occurrence of adverse events. Conclusions The use of TiZr implants with narrow diameter for the support of single crowns in the anterior and premolar regions leads to successful tissue integration and clinical performance over a 1-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the patient safety culture among students, staff, and faculty in seven U.S. dental school clinics when compared to those from a similar study in twenty U.S. hospitals. A survey on patient safety culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was used to measure attitudes towards patient safety by anonymous faculty, students, and support staff members who work in the clinics of seven U.S. dental schools. This survey instrument was also administered to staff at twenty U.S. hospitals. In three of the twelve sections of the survey (Overall Perceptions of Safety, Management Support for Patient Safety, and Teamwork Across Units), dental school personnel responses rated above the hospital benchmark results. In Section 2 (Frequency of Adverse Events Reported) and Section 4 (Organizational Learning/ Continuous Improvement), average dental school responses were below those recorded for hospital personnel. The overall score from the twelve sections of the survey indicated that patient safety attitudes of dental school participants were higher than those of their hospital counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study consists of two parts. Part 1, a survey of program directors, was conducted to examine current trends in advanced education in prosthodontics in the United States. Part 2 reports on the findings of a survey distributed to the deans of US dental schools to evaluate their observations of trends in prosthodontic education. Materials and Methods: A national, electronic survey of 55 dental school deans was distributed by e-mail to evaluate an interest in specialty training, an interest in specialization in prosthodontics, faculty shortages, programs to address faculty shortages, predoctoral curriculum in prosthodontics, opinions regarding dental specialties, and the administrative position of prosthodontics within the schools. Results: Of the 55 deans, 44 deans responded, an 80% response rate. Only five deans reported a decrease in the number of students seeking specialty training after dental school. The remaining 39 deans reported a large increase, slight increase, or no change in those seeking specialty training. In 29.6% of the deans' responses, an increased interest in prosthodontics was reported, whereas 16 deans reported no change in the level of interest. One or more open faculty positions in prosthodontics existed at 29 dental schools, and 28 schools offered at least one incentive or a variety of incentives to recruit faculty. The respondents to the deans' survey revealed predoctoral student exposure to prosthodontists was high, and exposure to postgraduate prosthodontics students was low. A survey of internal school programs that might have an impact on an increased interest in prosthodontics revealed the presence of a predoctoral mentoring program for prosthodontics in 80% of the institutions. The clinical curriculum included treatment of a variety of cases, including complex cases as defined by a diagnostic classification system. The response to whether dental specialties should be combined or remain individual provided some interesting data. Only 40.9% of the deans responded that prosthodontics was a separate department. Conclusion: Dental school deans reported an increased interest in specialty training. Predoctoral student exposure to prosthodontics was high due to the nature of their clinical experience and due to the exposure to full-time prosthodontics faculty. Many dental schools have programs, such as mentoring and new technology, which might have an impact on predoctoral students' increased interest in prosthodontics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]