Abstract
The number of graduating dentists cannot keep pace with the ever-grow ing demand for care, even though the enrollment of first-year dental students has increased nearly 22% in the past seven years— an increase al most four times greater than the in crease recorded in the preceding seven years. Demand is growing for several reasons. Population growth is the most obvious, yet the major one. Another is the recognition that dental diseases are health problems. Because they are health problems, they are being included in the new concept of health as a right rather than a privilege. Consequently, the demand for dental treatment is ex pected to increase 50% to 75% by 1975. Today there are only an estimated 47 non-Federal, active dentists for each 100,000 civilian Americans. The expansion from 3,770 freshmen entering dental schools in 1963 to nearly 4,500 for the fall of 1970 can meet only a fifth to a third of the increased demand for care. Dental research training can help meet this crisis. First of all, it can prepare sci entists who may lead the way to new preventives that diminish the need for care. Secondly, the body of trained investigators— especially clinical investigators— can partici pate in educating tomorrow’s den tist. Scientists can make significant contributions to dental education not only because they can alleviate the shortage of dental school faculty members, but also because their spe cial knowledge and insights can help assure that the practitioners of the future receive an adequate orienta tion to scientific concepts. To train scientists for careers in academic dentistry, the National In stitute of Dental Research offers two types of grants that support graduate research training in many healthoriented sciences: the fellowship, made to individual students to sup port their postdoctoral studies, and the research training grant, which is awarded to dental schools and uni versities in support of their research training efforts. To qualify for an NIDR fellow ship, you must have either a DDS, MD, PhD, or other doctoral degree. Prospective fellows apply for gradu ate training and select a sponsor be fore competing for a fellowship. For additional information and fellow ship application kits, please write to: Training Grants Officer, Extramu ral Programs, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Westwood Bldg, Bethes da, Md 20014. Because the qualifications vary for people training in the programs funded by NIDR research training grants, the general prerequisites are given in the following listing. For ad ditional details regarding admission stipends and training under this sec ond mechanism, please write to the directors of the programs of particu lar interest to you because each di rector is responsible for selecting his own students. Programs are listed alphabetically, according to the name of the training institution.
Published Version
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