The dental curriculum: is is relevant to dental practice?

Does the undergraduate dental curriculum devote the appropriate amount of time to those areas of dentistry that are relevant to today's general dental practice? In a survey of dentists who graduated between 1980 and 1985, it was determined that they felt curriculum offerings in orthodontics, research, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, fixed prosthodontics, and occlusion had not been extensive enough. However, graduates also reported that their educational experiences in biochemistry, dental laboratory procedures, gross anatomy, microbiology, and occlusion were too extensive.

Methods taught in dental schools for determining the posterior palatal seal region.

The following conclusions summarize the results of a survey sent to the chairperson of the removable prosthodontic department of 70 dental schools regarding the concepts and techniques taught for developing the posterior palatal seal. A combination of clinical methods was most frequently taught for locating the vibrating line. The phonation of the Ah sound was the most popular single method taught for locating the vibrating line. Seventy-five percent of the dental schools taught that there is one vibrating line per person. The posterior flexion line was related to the distal termination of the maxillary denture by dental schools that teach the concept of two vibrating lines. Most dental schools (80.4%) do not use the fovea palatinae for locating the distal termination of the maxillary denture. Most dental schools (87.5%) teach students to carve the posterior palatal seal on the maxillary master cast. Most dental schools (93.9%) take the compressibility of the palatal tissue into consideration when carving the depth of the posterior palatal seal in the maxillary master cast. The butterfly pattern was most frequently described to carve the posterior palatal seal in the maxillary master cast.

Evaluation of the accuracy of a new plasterless plane line articulator.

The accuracy of a technique that allows rapid and repeated cast mountings without the aid of gypsum products was determined. The results indicate that errors of dimensional change inherent in plaster or dental stone mountings are avoided with use of this plasterless mounting procedure. In view of the findings, this articulator is recommended as a reliable laboratory instrument.

Mounting casts on a new plasterless plane line articulator.

A technique of mounting casts on a plane line articulator without the aid of plaster or artificial stone has been described. The advantages of this technique are: The dimensional change errors inherent in a plaster or dental stone mounting are avoided. Casts may be routinely mounted and articulated in less than 3 minutes. Casts may be removed and returned to their original position with precise reliability. The disadvantages include the lack of an adjustable horizontal condylar guidance and the lack of an anterior guide pin or anterior guidance. Further studies should be directed toward determining the accuracy of remounting casts on the instrument.

A method for lacting dowel pins in artificial stone casts.

The technique described in this article produces a removable die that can be reseated in the artificial stone cast with great accuracy and with little or no movement of the die during fabrication procedures. It provides an easy way to locate dowel pins after the artificial stone cast has hardened.

Claspless chrome-cobalt transitional removable partial dentures.

Many of the acrylic resin and bent-wire temporary partial dentures in use today produce pathologic changes in the oral mucosa. A method is outlined for the use of chrome-cobalt, instead of acrylic resin, to produce temporary prostheses. The resulting temporary partial dentures are esthetically pleasing and biologically acceptable to the oral tissues.