ADEA Allied Dental Education Summit

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ADEA Allied Dental Education Summit

• National Association of Dental Laboratories
• Ricki Braswell, CAE, Co-Executive Director

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NADLs Role in the Process

• Communication vehicle to relay the objectives and
  pathways
• Liaison to organized dentistry
• Competency Standards for skills and knowledge for
  Dental Technology
• Curriculum for formal education for both dental
  technology and dentistry

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Challenges to Success

• Current climate in Dental Laboratory Technology
• Emphasis is on productivity
• Education is not required
• Education is not valued

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Discrepancies

• "Most dentists rely on the dental technician to
  choose the materials needed for the fabrication
  of the prosthesis. With lack of adequate
  information, all too often the design,
  fabrication, and completion of the case is left
  up to the technician. Therefore, our results
  indicate an apparent trend to which technicians
  are left to make crucial decisions for
  dentists."Journal of Prosthodontics Vol 15. No
  2 March-April 2006 pgs 123-28Z. Afsharzand,DMD
  B. Rashedi, DMD MSEd, MS V. Petropoulos, DMD,MS

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Discrepancies

• The (ADA) Council on Dental Education and
  Licensure believes that the examination and
  certification of dental laboratory technicians is
  necessary to provide the dental profession with
  an indication of those persons who have
  demonstrated their ability to fulfill the dental
  laboratory work authorization.
• 199892, 713

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Challenges to Success

• There is a lack of support for formal education
  for dental technicians.
• Formal educational programs are expensive to
  administer
• Formal educational programs are closing at a
  rapid rate

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Number and Type of U.S. Allied Dental Programs
1970 - 2006
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Global Challenges

• Dentistry in the U.S. minimizes the importance of
  an educated and skilled dental technician.
• Lack of standards encourages the export of dental
  device manufacturing.

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Countries that require formal education and
technician licensure

• Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,
  China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England,
  Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
  Hungry, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand,
  Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea,
  Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi
  Arabia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South
  Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales

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Progress in Education

• DLT education must be integrated back into dental
  schools.
• DLT students and dental students should share the
  same basis for knowledge on the subject of dental
  laboratory technology.
• DLT students and dental students should be
  introduced so that they can work together prior
  to graduation.

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Integrated Education

• Most dentists dont meet a technician until
  after they graduate and thats criminal. The
  pre-clinical students and dental laboratory
  technology students are able to learn from each
  other, which helps them hone the skills they have
  and build new ones.
• Journal of Dental Technology June/July 2006, Bob
  Schneider, DDS, University of Iowa Hospitals and
  Clinics Professor

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National Association of Dental Laboratories

• 325 John Knox Rd., L-103
• Tallahassee, FL 32303
• 800-950-1150 phone
• www.nadl.org
• Ricki Braswell, CAE, Co-Executive Director
• ricki_at_nadl.org