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The current system of instruction in the School of Dentistry of the University of Panama is described. The object of the system is to prepare professional people capable of blending biological, techological, and social principles and applying them in different models of dental care for the solution of individual and collective oral health problems. The students take their clinical training in the metropolitan area (clinics on campus and in Santo Tomás Hospital) in the heavily populated rural area (the community hospital and primary schools), and in the sparsely populated countryside (where they work with teams of three auxiliaries in prevention programs for schoolchildren and programs of care for teachers and lend support to community activities).

The occurrence of subgingival Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Capnocytophaga in 12 localized juvenile periodontitis and 10 gingivitis patients from Panama was determined using selective culture techniques. A actinomycetemcomitans was present in all localized juvenile periodontitis lesions studied and was, on average, recovered in hundred-fold-higher numbers from localized juvenile periodontitis lesions than from gingivitis lesions. Capnocytophaga was only recovered in approximately threefold-higher numbers from localized juvenile periodontitis than from gingivitis. The study confirms and extends previous data indicating a close relationship between A actinomycetemcomitans and localized juvenile periodontitis. It is proposed that identification of A actinomycetemcomitans may be a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis of localized juvenile periodontitis.