New York University College Of Dentistry Research Articles

Targeting the Pipeline to a Diverse Dental Student Body: Saturday Academy at New York University College of Dentistry

Pipeline programs aim to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities in the dental profession. At New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), two dental students initiated the development of a pipeline program for high school students called Saturday Academy. The purpose of the program is twofold: to mentor and coach underrepresented minority and low-income high school students through the college application process, and to expose them to the field of dentistry as a viable career option through both didactic and hands-on learning. The aim of this pilot study was to determine outcomes for the first five years (2013-17) of the Saturday Academy pipeline program at NYUCD with regard to the high school students' experience with the program and their career interests after high school graduation. Across five cohorts, a total of 82 students participated in Saturday Academy. A "where are you now?" survey sent to 72 participants who reported high school graduation years between 2013 and 2018 received a response rate of 76%. The survey results showed that all (100%) of the responding Saturday Academy participants had graduated from high school and were enrolled in college, and 71% were interested in health profession careers. Almost half (47%) of the students self-identified as being pre-dental, and 96% reported that Saturday Academy had increased their interest in the dental profession. These pilot results justified an expansion of Saturday Academy at NYUCD in both size and creation of an alumni outreach initiative. Other dental schools may benefit from the strategies used by this program in establishing or expanding their pipeline programs.

Building Capacity in the Sikh Asian Indian Community to Lead Participatory Oral Health Projects

Lack of access to oral health care is a significant burden for disadvantaged populations, yet rarely draws the attention of policymakers or community leaders. To understand how UNITED SIKHS identified oral health care as a priority need through its involvement in community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives and local data collection, thereby building its capacity to lead participatory oral health projects. The foundation for the partnership between UNITED SIKHS and the New York University (NYU) Prevention Research Center (PRC) was the joint implementation of a CBPR project to prevent diabetes in the Sikh Asian Indian community. Project partners also included a community coalition composed of religious leaders, health providers, members of the media, and dental students and faculty at the NYU College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry). A community needs and resources assessment survey was jointly developed and conducted in 2010 to better understand health needs in the Sikh community. Fewer than one-half of the Sikh participants (43.0%) reported ever receiving a check-up or screening by a dentist, and of those who did, only one-half (50.0%) reported that it occurred in the past 12 months. Upon clinical assessment, more than one-half of Sikh adults (58.2%) had untreated dental decay. The collection and analysis of local data motivated UNITED SIKHS to develop new priorities based upon the findings. UNITED SIKHS applied for and received external funding to lead a CBPR project that developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a culturally tailored oral health and healthy living curriculum for the Sikh Asian Indian community.

Utilizing an Online learning Format to Train and Calibrate New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Simulation/Clinical Faculty

Utilizing an Online learning Format to Train and Calibrate New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Simulation/Clinical Faculty

Improving Students’ LearningExperience of CAD/CAM Technology Utilizing Mediasite®

Objective: To educate student doctors on the steps required to design and fabricate an indirect restoration utilizing CAD/ CAM technology using Mediasite by Sonic Foundry®.Introduction: Student doctors at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) use CAD/ CAM technology to design and fabricate restorations for their patients. Current educational protocol requires two training sessions: (1) a presentation outlining CAD/CAM procedure and (2) small hands-on sessions lead by trained faculty doctors[1]. Upon utilization of CAD/CAM technology in patient care, students are unable to comfortably recall and perform the steps necessary to fabricate a restoration. Due to the rigor of the pre-doctoral curriculum, additional training sessions are not feasible. Therefore, a training video was produced using Mediasite by SonicFoundry®, and made available for student doctors to review steps for designing and fabricating an indirect restoration using CAD/ CAM technology.Method: The training video produced is comprised of a screen cast taken from the CAD/CAM acquisition unit with microphone audio input, and a video recording made with a separate camera to be viewed them simultaneously. This allows for the doctor’s actions to be viewed alongside the screen of the CAD/ CAM acquisition unit for a cohesive understanding of the procedure. The procedure for taking digital impressions and the fabrication of a restoration using Biogeneric Copy Mode and Biogeneric Individual Mode were recorded.Conclusion: Educating student doctors today using Mediasite® allows CAD/ CAM technology to transcend the classroom and laboratory, and will help ensure that student doctors are more confident and competent in treating patients using this technology.

Identification of Pediatric Oral Health Core Competencies through Interprofessional Education and Practice.

Over the past seven years, the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) and the Advanced Practice: Pediatrics and the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) program at New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) have engaged in a program of formal educational activities with the specific goals of advancing interprofessional education, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional strategies to improve the oral-systemic health of infants and young children. Mentoring interprofessional students in all health care professions to collaboratively assess, analyze, and care-manage patients demands that faculty reflect on current practices and determine ways to enhance the curriculum to include evidence-based scholarly activities, opportunities for interprofessional education and practice, and interprofessional socialization. Through the processes of interprofessional education and practice, the pediatric nursing and dental faculty identified interprofessional performance and affective oral health core competencies for all dental and pediatric primary care providers. Students demonstrated achievement of interprofessional core competencies, after completing the interprofessional educational clinical practice activities at Head Start programs that included interprofessional evidence-based collaborative practice, case analyses, and presentations with scholarly discussions that explored ways to improve the oral health of diverse pediatric populations. The goal of improving the oral health of all children begins with interprofessional education that lays the foundations for interprofessional practice.

Long‐Term Follow‐Up of a Dental Faculty Development Program

Many, if not most, dental faculty members have not received formal training to be educators. However, the importance of faculty development programs in improving teaching skills, fostering career development, and reinforcing relationships with colleagues and mentors has increasingly been acknowledged. In 2005, the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) was created to enhance the clinical teaching skills of NYUCD faculty members. As of spring 2009, fifty-nine faculty members had participated in eight separate cohorts. The program consists of five formal group sessions supplemented by readings, reflection papers, and a final project. This study examined the short- and long-term effectiveness of the program. Participants were asked to complete a short pre-program survey to self-assess their teaching abilities and, at the last session, a satisfaction survey. In fall 2011, forty-eight faculty members who completed the program from spring 2005 to fall 2009 and were actively teaching at least one session a week at NYUCD were asked to complete a follow-up survey asking about the long-term value of the program and their academic career progression since program completion. Thirty-three faculty members responded for a response rate of 69 percent. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents indicated they would recommend the program to their colleagues, 94 percent said program participation led to a greater likelihood of conferring with peers about teaching issues,79 percent had increased their teaching responsibilities, and 62 percent said that presenting the final project improved their presentation skills. In addition, the retention rate of those still teaching at the school (81 percent) exceeds national retention rate averages for dental faculty. This follow-up study suggests that participation in the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program is associated with meaningful professional growth.

Diabetes Mellitus and the Risk for Developing Cancer

ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus is a serious and growing health care problem, globally. The ‘westernization’ of diets around the world has led to an increase in obesity. Other contributing factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity and aging has led to epidemiological concerns regarding the link between diabetes and cancer. Research evidence suggests that patients with diabetes may be at greater risk for the development of some forms of cancer. The patient being discussed in this case report presented to New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), with a history that included type 2 diabetes mellitus, seeking comprehensive dental care. During the interim between his initial exam and following appointment, a lesion had developed on the palate, which was subsequently diagnosed as adenocarcinoma. This prompted the review of current literature, regarding the link between diabetes and the development of various cancers. How to cite this article Markey SM, Congiusta MA. Diabetes Mellitus and the Risk for Developing Cancer. Int J Experiment Dent Sci 2013;2(1):41-43.

Using multiple measures to evaluate a dental faculty development program

The formal preparation of dental professionals for teaching is increasingly seen as essential to enhance teacher effectiveness and student learning and to promote curricular initiatives. As a result, many dental schools have implemented a variety of faculty development programming. There is a body of literature that describes these programmes, but there is limited rigorous evaluation of them. The use of multiple measures of evaluation helps to compensate for potential inadequacies of individual methods. Analyses with multiple measures provide a more comprehensive view of whether a programme is achieving its learning outcomes. A dental faculty development programme, Class Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars (ACTS), at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) was evaluated with four different measures: pre- and post-programme tests of participants' level of relevant pedagogical knowledge, pre- and post-programme objective structured teaching examinations (OSTEs), pre- and post-programme self-assessments of teaching abilities and post-programme participant satisfaction surveys. Two of the measures used a comparison group of faculty. Results revealed that the Class ACTS participants significantly improved their knowledge; observed teaching performance in most teaching domains tested showed significant improvement; there was no significant change in self-assessed teaching abilities after participation; and the course was viewed positively by the participants. Class ACTS, an advanced dental faculty development course, has been successfully implemented and evaluated with the use of multiple measures.

Creating an Objective Structured Teaching Examination to Evaluate a Dental Faculty Development Program

This article describes the creation of an objective structured teaching examination (OSTE) to assess a dental faculty development program. An OSTE is a performance-based measure that utilizes standardized students and is designed to measure observable teaching skills. In spring 2010, the authors developed, implemented, and evaluated an OSTE to assess a New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) faculty development program, Class ACTS (Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars). They created a three-station OSTE to measure changes in teaching skills resulting from participation in Class ACTS. Dental student teaching assistants were trained to act as standardized students and patients and to use the rating forms. The faculty members' OSTE scores and ratings increased after participating in the Class ACTS program in all fifteen teaching domains tested, and statistically significant improvements occurred in nine of the fifteen domains. A search of the relevant literature suggests that this is the first time that an OSTE has been used to assess a faculty development program in dental education. This study's results appear to support NYUCD's faculty development efforts to improve the teaching skills of its faculty members.

Use of an Action Learning Model to Create a Dental Faculty Development Program

Dental educators are often talented practitioners who may have little knowledge of educational concepts and current teaching modalities. Dental schools have recognized the need to offer instruction in teaching skills to their clinical faculty members to support their roles as educators. Since 2005, New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Office of Professional Development has sponsored the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program, an introductory program in pedagogy and teaching skills. The Action Learning model was used to drive development and implementation of Class ACTS (Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars), a new advanced teaching skills program. Action Learning is a collaborative educational approach that has its origins in the business world. The learning is problem-driven and occurs in a supportive and reflective environment. The Action Learning approach culminated in a seminar series, Class ACTS, that offers an in-depth opportunity for faculty members to sustain and improve their teaching skills in a small-group setting. Class ACTS is open to NYUCD faculty members who have successfully completed NYUCD's Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program or a comparable program and have a basic background in pedagogy.

A Model for an Integrated Predoctoral Implant Curriculum: Implementation and Outcomes

The implementation of an implant dental curriculum in U.S. dental schools has been consistently increasing from 33 percent in 1974 to 97 percent in 2004. Among these, only 51 percent have clinical components implemented. A survey of students conducted in 2004 at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) showed an inadequacy in clinical implant restoration experience by graduation. This prompted the development of an extensive dental implant curriculum at NYUCD to meet the needs of the dental students. This report addresses the challenges in implementing such a curriculum and describes a step-by-step approach to develop a program that encompasses didactic, simulation, and patient care components. In 2005, a fully integrated predoctoral implant curriculum was initiated. In 2008, nearly all of the NYUCD students (91.8 percent) completed implant restorations/prosthesis on patients. An assessment revealed a 30 percent increase in students' positive perceptions of the implant curriculum. Based on our experiences at NYUCD, it is recommended that an implant curriculum become part of the core predoctoral curriculum and be integrated throughout the four years of dental education. This article reports on a model for a pre-doctoral implant curriculum, which includes planning, curriculum implementation, program management, and post-implementation stages. Using this model, dental schools can develop implant education for their students that is adapted to their institutional missions, priorities, and resources.

The NYU College of Dentistry Dental Library and VitalBook®

This article details how librarians at Waldmann Dental Library at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) adapted to a new electronic dental curriculum. Over the four-year period from fall 2001 to spring 2005, the new curriculum has resulted in an increased number of reference queries, increased gate counts, decreased circulation statistics, and increased printing activity resulting in the introduction of print management software.

Introducing a Senior Course on Catastrophe Preparedness into the Dental School Curriculum

This article describes an integrated fourth‐year course in catastrophe preparedness for students at the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD). The curriculum is built around the competencies proposed in “Predoctoral Dental School Curriculum for Catastrophe Preparedness,” published in the August 2004 Journal of Dental Education. We highlight our experience developing the program and offer suggestions to other dental schools considering adding bioterrorism studies to their curriculum.

E-Curriculum at the New York University College of Dentistry

In 1997, the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) began a revision of its DDS curriculum. The new curriculum was developed to emphasize the practice of evidence-based decision-making, foster problem-solving and critical thinking, and promote lifelong learning as the basis for developing a professional life. The new curriculum would also recognize the role of electronic technology and information retrieval by incorporating these parameters into dental education. In 1998, NYUCD started negotiations with Vital Source Technologies, Inc. to produce a DVD that would contain the entire curriculum of textbooks, manuals, lectures, slides, and videos that are used by students and faculty during the four years of the DDS program. The Waldmann Dental Library played a pivotal role in the process of developing and creating this product and teaching students how to search for information.