Establishing a speaker's bureau to teach dental public health curriculum in predoctoral dental and dental hygiene programs.

Abstract

The opening of new dental schools and dental hygiene programs in the past decade has further exacerbated the shortage of faculty, including those with dental public health (DPH) expertise to teach. Therefore, one of the aims for the American Association of Public Health Dentistry's (AAPHD) Predoctoral Dental Public Health Competencies and Curriculum Project (Project), to develop DPH competencies and curriculum, was to establish a speakers bureau of interested dental professionals to teach the curriculum in dental schools and dental hygiene programs at the predoctoral level. This paper describes the process for establishing a speakers bureau including identifying and training individuals to teach the developed DPH curriculum. The speakers bureau and its availability were promoted through the AAPHD website and through letters to deans of dental schools and directors of dental hygiene programs.