LLU School of Dentistry Journal

Journal

Spring 2002

Dean's Message
Progressive excellence

Charles Goodacre, SD'71, reports to faculty, students, and staff on preliminary results of the commission on dental accreditation site visit, which took place in February.

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry remains committed to sustaining a program that progressively excels through the incorporation of new evidence, experiences, techniques, and materials into our educational program. This commitment requires careful study of the existing program to determine areas where improvement could occur.

For instance, it was recognized several years ago that implant dentistry should be an integral part of the predoctoral curriculum. As a result, a course was developed for students in their third year. After presenting this course for several years, faculty realized the concepts of implant dentistry should be an integral part of second-year courses when students are developing the conceptual framework whereby they evaluate edentulous spaces and make decisions regarding the best process for replacing the missing teeth.

Consequently, the previous third-year material was moved into the second year and a new third-year implant dentistry course was developed and implemented. The new course encompasses recent advances in implant dentistry and information related to the use of advanced and emerging treatment procedures.

The ability to diagnose difficulty is another area into which we have only started to venture. Diagnosis is the gateway whereby we determine the most appropriate, longest lasting, most beneficial, and most effective treatments for our patients.

In formulating the most appropriate treatment pathways, we need to diagnose the problems/needs/desires present, but we must also identify the factors present that will make the proposed treatment difficult.

Only through this approach will we be able to recognize more difficult treatments, plan ahead, and match our expertise to the needs and desires of the patient.

I might even be so bold as to propose that the key to successful treatment lies in the ability to diagnose difficulty.

It is time that dentistry develops these concepts more fully and that they be incorporated into our program at Loma Linda.

I invite you to communicate your thoughts regarding other areas of the curriculum that could be enhanced, and help our students to develop the ability to effectively analyze before they treat.

Charles Goodacre, SD’71, MSD Dean

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