A proposal to alleviate faculty shortages in dental schools.

Concern over possible shortages of qualified educators in dental schools in the United States and Canada is increasing.1–4 The problem is multifactorial: the major causes are aging of current dental educators causing attrition through death and retirement, resignation of faculty to pursue the more lucrative area of private practice and fewer dentists assuming fullor parttime faculty positions at dental schools. In a 1997 survey,1 deans listed faculty recruitment and retention as their primary problems. According to Flores-Mir,3 “The problem is not only to fill the current open positions, but also to address future needs.” During the 1980s, the number of full-time clinical faculty members in dental schools decreased by 12%.5 Between 1986 and 1997, the average number of faculty declined by 18%1 and, by the next decade, retirement of those 60 years of age and older will create a critical shortage of educators. Projections indicate that by 2020, the dentist-to-population ratio will be at its lowest point since before World War I.1,6 In the United States, dental schools are graduating approximately 35% fewer dentists than in the early 1980s.1 To address the shortage, dental schools will almost certainly need to increase the size of graduating classes, which will further reduce the already critical faculty–student ratio unless there is an influx of new fulland part-time faculty members. All indications are that the Canadian situation mirrors that of the United States.4 The problem is evident in dental hygiene programs as well. According to Mitchell and Lavigne,2 “Within two years, 24% of dental hygiene programs will have full-time faculty positions available, growing to 40% within the next five years [which represents] a 68% shortage of full-time dental hygiene faculty within the next five years... the results of this study suggest that a faculty shortage will be acute in Canada by 2008.” As Haden and others7 state, “Ultimately, in a confluence of dire consequences, the faculty shortage threatens the health of the public. Without adequate numbers of qualified faculty, dental schools simply cannot educate sufficient numbers of practitioners to meet the oral health needs of the public.” This leads to the issue of the difficulty that dental schools are having in finding replacement candidates. A 2000–2001 survey8 found that “46% of the vacancies were due to an inability for candidates to meet the specific educational, training, and experiential requirements of the position.” Failure to meet position or scholarship requirements was cited as the reason for 235 vacancies in 2000–2001 and 218 in 2001–2002. However, the most troubling factor was a lack of applications.1 Response to advertisements for almost a third of the vacant positions was limited.8 Dental �ontact ��uthor