Historical overview of orthodontic education, from the beginning up to the 21st century (Part 3)

This was a peer review mechanism that included orthodontic specialists, educational institutions, practitioners, the dental licensing community, as well as public representatives. Their responsibility was to ensure the quality of each orthodontic education program. The Joint Commission on National Board of Dental Examiners established Test Construction Committees in order to examine all undergraduate and graduate dental students for knowledge and proficiency.

Since 1990, the issue regarding recruitment and retention of qualified orthodontic faculty members had been the most important and challenging topic of discussion at every orthodontic conference (Roberts, 1997). Since 1994, the AAO Council on Orthodontic Education (COE) has sponsored conferences for the chairs of orthodontic departments to share common challenges and solutions (Larson, 1998). According to Larson, the Orthodontic Section of the American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) also recognized this critical challenge.

In 1990, the faculty vacancy rate was six percent. At the time of the 1993 survey, 171 full-time faculty positions were funded at the programs that returned the survey and of these, 20 positions were unfilled for a vacancy rate of 12 percent. In l997, the vacancy rate increased to 42 percent.

If orthodontics can provide an environment that makes education and research a reasonable choice through which one can make a decent living, the specialty will maintain its high standards and continue to flourish (Peck, 2003). Typically, the best dental students are attracted to orthodontics, and a large number of them do have an interest in teaching and research (Larson, 1998).

According to Noble, Hechter, Karaiskos and Wiltshire (2009), there are more than 700 orthodontic residents enrolled in the 65 postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States. Approximately 400 new residents per year are accepted in 69 postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada (Johnson, 2008). All postgraduate orthodontic programs range from two to four years in duration; some offer certificates in orthodontics and others offer M.Sc. and/or Ph.D. degrees. The total number of residents averages 800 to 1,200 per year.

By 1997, these issues were finally brought to the surface by an important and landmark survey of all orthodontic department chairs. The COE and AADS surveyed all orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada in order to visualize the problem and develop greater understanding for the negative trends of orthodontic faculty recruitment and retention (Larson, 1998).

Larson noted that two orthodontic educators, Storey (Department of Orthodontics, University of Toronto, Faculty of Dentistry, Ontario, Canada) and Biggerstaff (University of Texas, Department of Orthodontics, Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas), constructed a survey instrument in order to reassess previous data from similar projects that were completed in 1990 and 1993. This survey instrument was modified to allow for comparison with those earlier results regarding faculty retention. Those results confirmed that there was an increase in unfilled faculty positions.

To be continued …

Editor’s note: References will be included at the end of the final portion of this series.