The Institute of Medicine study of dental education: issues affecting prosthodontics. Report of the Educational Policy Subcommittee of the American College of Prosthodontists.
In 1993, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a committee to study dental education and to make recommendations regarding the future of dentistry. The study was prompted by educational and professional concerns: specifically, the number of dental school closures, the high cost of dental education, the size of the dental workforce, and the role of dentistry within medicine and the health care system. In January 1995, the IOM's Committee on the Future of Dental Education concluded "Dental Education at the Crossroads-Challenges and Change," a 345-page report that includes eight policy and strategic principles and presents 22 recommendations. The unabridged text of the strategic principles and recommendations is published at the beginning of this paper. The IOM text notes impressive achievements in dentistry, and the recommendations form a foundation for the assessment of the many crucial issues that face dental education and dentistry today. The IOM report urges each dental school to review its curriculum and individually determine how best to fulfill its missions of education, research, and patient care. As dental education looks to the future, the practice of dentistry will be altered by social, economic, political, and technological developments as our consumers (students and patients) demand professional accountability and effectiveness. In the midst of this call for change, the specialty of prosthodontics is faced with many challenges and opportunities. This article is the response to a request from the American Dental Association (ADA) to address the IOM study on dental education as it affects the specialty and practice of prosthodontics. This article presents the position of the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP); however, some sections have been expanded to provide additional background information.