Educational Imperatives for Oral Health Personnel: Change or Decay? Report of a WHO Expert Committee. Technical Report Series 794.

This report highlights trends in disease patterns and technological advances that call for sweeping changes in the education of oral health personnel. It first provides a brief history of the development of dental education. The second and most extensive section analyzes global trends for dental caries, periodontal conditions, tooth loss and edentulousness, developmental disorders, systemic diseases, and traumatic injuries. The third section considers what these trends will mean in terms of the demand for different categories of oral health personnel and for low-, moderate-, and high-technology care. The report notes that the clinical functions required of oral health personnel will change from the simple to the complex. The second half of the report discusses the immediate educational changes needed to protect against an oversupply of oral health personnel, overqualified for routine clinical functions yet inadequately trained to perform necessary specialized, sophisticated procedures. Topics include advantages of a health sciences approach organized on modular lines, changes in curricula that can support revised educational objectives, and methods for setting and maintaining educational standards. Fifteen specific tasks that can contribute to effective changes in educational systems for training dentists and auxiliary personnel are outlined. Eleven references are listed. Appended is a statement of the general aim and objectives for a first course for oral health professionals. (YLB)