A survey of U.S. dental school programs that help students consider academic careers.

The faculty shortage in dental education has been reported for many years and is expected to increase. Some dental schools have developed "grow your own" programs that introduce students to academic careers and give them teaching experiences. These programs generally consist of teaching assistant, fellowship, and peer tutoring opportunities. In this study, a nineteen-item survey was sent to fifty-six U.S. dental schools to determine the extent to which such programs were being implemented. Thirty-six out of fifty-six dental schools responded, a response rate of 64 percent. Twenty-five schools or 69 percent of the respondents reported the existence of a formal teaching assistant, fellowship, or peer tutoring program in which students teach in some capacity. The main reasons reported for implementing these programs were to expose students to academia and to address faculty shortages. The respondents reported that positive outcomes for dental student teachers and their students were academic benefits and increased interest in academic life. Among the barriers reported were securing faculty and financial support and problems with scheduling.