Dental students' input into the accreditation process.

Abstract

With the recent adoption of a student section in the Procedures for Evaluation Requirements and Guidelines for Dental Education Programs, the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation sought to increase the role of students in the accreditation process. Dental students at Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Dentistry conducted an independent self-study, paralleling that of the school's Accreditation Steering Committee. This self-study enabled students to work with faculty and administrators in implementing improvements in the educational system and to focus attention on student needs and concerns. Six topics (educational costs, dental school student government, relationships with state and national organizations, curriculum, operations, and the Office of Student Affairs) formed the basis of the student self-study.