Dentistry Commons^™

Resources For Practice Management, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Mastl Kinase, A Promising Therapeutic Target, Promotes Cancer Recurrence., Ling Wang, Vivian Q. Luong, Peter J. Giannini, Aimin Peng

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Mastl kinase promotes mitotic progression and cell cycle reentry after DNA damage. We report here that Mastl is frequently upregulated in various types of cancer. This upregulation was correlated with cancer progression in breast and oral cancer, poor patient survival in breast cancer, and tumor recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We further investigated the role of Mastl in tumor resistance using cell lines derived from the initial and recurrent tumors of the same head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. Ectopic expression of Mastl in the initial tumor cells strongly promoted cell proliferation in the presence of …

An In-Vitro Evaluation Of Mechanical And Esthetic Properties Of Orthodontic Sealants., Thyagaseely Sheela Premaraj, Nima Rohani, David Covey, Sundaralingam Premaraj, Yi Hua, Hidehiko Watanabe

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate mechanical and esthetic Properties of two commercially available orthodontic sealants: Opal(®)Seal (OS) and L.E.D. Pro Seal (PS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Discs of each sealant were prepared to test the following properties: Micro hardness, wear resistance and color stability. Samples were randomly selected after the wear test for SEM imaging to analyze surface morphology.

RESULTS: OS was significantly harder than PS (P < 0.001). PS was significantly more wear resistant than OS (P < 0.05). PS showed a greater ∆E*ab (increased staining) when placed in wine or coffee showing a significant difference (P < 0.05). SEM showed particle size, shape and distribution were different for PS and OS reflecting the pattern seen on wear surfaces.

CONCLUSION: Both orthodontic sealants are beneficial for protecting enamel. However with better wear properties PS was superior in resisting mechanical stresses. OS was more color stable.

Dental Student Debt In The U.S.: A Mountain To Be Scaled, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Dental student educational debt in the United States continues to grow as a concern for both dental educators and dental students. While certainly warranted, this concern needs to be understood from the perspective of return on investment. The student debt issue remains a critical one. However, this debt is essentially “good” debt when viewed as an investment made by associates/ employees of general dental practices and general dental practice owners.

Access To Oral Health Care In Nebraska, Aastha Chandak, Kim Mcfarland, Preethy Nayar, Jim P. Stimpson

Reports: Center for Health Policy

Oral health contributes to overall health; therefore, it is important to understand the level of access to oral health care in Nebraska. Our analysis of the most recently available data in Nebraska on access to oral health care and on the oral health workforce indicates that in 2010, 68.4% of Nebraskans aged 18 years and older visited a dentist within the past year. The total number of dentists practicing in Nebraska in 2012 was 1,028, compared to 1,017 in 2008; however, the number of dentists per 100,000 population decreased by 2.85% between 2008 and 2012, and the number of dentists …

Suicide Rate In The Dental Profession: Fact Or Myth And Coping Strategies, Brian M. Lange, Eric Y.K. Fung, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

This article summarizes relevant scientific data on the alleged high suicide rate among dentists as compared to other health care professions. Potential contributing risk factors for the dental profession are identified. In addition, a brief review is provided for major depressive disorder, a contributor to increased suicide, along with its symptoms, underlying theory, drug treatment and coping skills to combat this disorder.]

Etiquette In Making The Transition Into Private Practice, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

In this article, the author offers several tips for students who are making transition into private dental practice. It suggests not disclosing the agreed terms and information related with negotiating practice or dentist or organization. It states that the initial focus should not be concentrated on salary or compensation or practice performance indicators. It mentions that before getting into details of each opportunity, students needs to decide their priorities.

An Update On Practice Management Instruction In U.S. Dental Schools, David G. Dunning, Wenyu Qu, Brian M. Lange

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Over the last twenty-seven years, the evaluation of practice man- agement in dental schools has been documented by three studies. In twenty-seven years the teaching of practice management has been influenced by changes in the definition of practice manage- ment, resources available to dental schools, technology, changes in accreditation standards and, more recently, the influence of corpora- tions marketing to dental students. In an effort to determine what resources dental schools are utilizing to teach practice management, fifty-seven schools were contacted, and fifty faculty members with teaching responsibilities were identi- fied. An on-line email survey was administered and results reported …

Introduction To The Special Issue On Practice Management, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Study Of Staff Meetings As Viewed By Dental Hygienists, David G. Dunning, Patrick Anderson, Daniel Ellingson

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Staff meetings in general dental practices represent what is believed to be a key management strategy to build teams and to enhance ef-ficiency and effectiveness. However, very little research has been done regarding staff meetings in dental offices. This study examined staff meetings from the viewpoint of dental hygienists who grow in unique careers in that they work largely independently of the dentist and yet typically within a dental practice while providing patient care and education. One-hundred-six dental hygienists completed a sur- vey about staff meetings in dental offices. Key findings include: only approximately 43% of dental offices conduct morning …

Associate To Owner Transition: When Should A Dental Practice Be Valued?, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

A Dentigerous Cyst Associated With Bilaterally Impacted Mandibular Canines In A Girl: A Case Report., Shawneen M. Gonzalez, Peter M. Spalding, Jeffrey B. Payne, Peter J. Giannini

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

INTRODUCTION: A dentigerous cyst is the most common developmental odontogenic cyst and is frequently noted as an incidental finding on radiographs. The most common teeth affected are impacted mandibular third molars and permanent maxillary canines. This case involves a dentigerous cyst encompassing the right and left impacted mandibular canines and crossing the midline. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported case of a dentigerous cyst encompassing non-adjacent teeth and crossing the midline.

CASE PRESENTATION: The patient presented to our orthodontic clinic for treatment of malocclusion. The patient was a 10-year, one-month-old Caucasian girl with a dentigerous …

Walking With Dental Students Through The Minefields Of Associateship Opportunities, David G. Dunning

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

The author reflects on the need of legal counsel for the dental students before signing any employment contract in a private dental practice firm. He states that the counsel can save both the students and owners from the problems which he called "mines". He further elaborate these "mines" which include lack of revenue or patients at the work place, compensation scheme causing too much profit for the owner and little or no discussion of the practice's value with the new associate.

Misdiagnosis Of Lateral Periodontal Cysts: A Retrospective Study, Piper Larson, John Huebner, Nagamani Narayana

Posters and Presentations: College of Dentistry

A total of 239 cases were retrieved from the files of the UNMC College of Dentistry oral biopsy service which had lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) as a clinical or a histological diagnosis. Of these, 178 were submitted with a clinical differential diagnosis that included LPC. Upon histological examination only 26 (11%) of those were in fact LPC. Only 21(9%) of the 51 cases diagnosed histologically met the criteria for LPC. Within those 239 cases, 120(50%) cases were inflammatory cysts, 31(13%) of the samples were determined to be keratocystic odontogenic tumors (odontogenic keratocysts). Conclusion: The LPC is frequently misdiagnosed due to …

Prerequisites In Behavioral Science And Business: Opportunities For Dental Education., David G. Dunning, Brian M. Lange, Robert D. Madden, Koko K. Tacha

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

There is increasing pressure on recent dental school graduates to understand and successfully utilize patient management and business management strategies to run a productive dental office. Dental schools are faced with the dilemma to either add more credit hours in their already crowded curriculum or adjust predental school requirements. All fifty-nine U.S. dental schools were assessed online to determine admission requirements in the areas of behavioral science and business education. Results show that only 11.9 percent of the schools require prerequisite course work in behavioral science and no school requires prerequisite course work in business. However, 64.4 percent and 30.5 …

Compensating Associates For Supervising Dental Hygiene Production In U.S. General Dental Practices: A Discussion Of A Frequently Taboo Topic, David G. Dunning, Brian M. Lange, Robert Madden

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Many associateship employment contracts in U.S. general dental practice, probably about 85% based on our review of over 100 contracts in the past decade, are silent about a key issue in associateships-- namely, compensating associates for supervising dental hygiene production. Not addressing this issue raises ethical questions as well as concerns about professional liability regarding the supervision of dental hygiene. The associate and owner need to include in an employment agreement what compensation will be given to the associate for supervising dental hygiene production. Compensating associates for supervising dental hygiene production will certainly have a …

Strategic Management And Organizational Behavior In Dental Education: Reflections On Key Issues In An Environment Of Change., David G. Dunning, Timothy M. Durham, Brian M. Lange, Mert N. Aksu

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

With issues such as shrinking revenue, access to care, faculty workloads, and graying faculty, dental schools are faced with difficult challenges that fall to dental school deans to manage. Do dental school deans have the organizational skill sets and ethical frameworks necessary to address the challenges now facing dental schools? The purpose of this article is to pose questions and suggestions regarding some of the key issues in dental colleges today and to stimulate discussion in the dental community about needed changes in dental education.

The State Of The Art In Evaluating The Performance Of Assistant And Associate Deans As Seen By Deans And Assistant And Associate Deans., David G. Dunning, Timothy M. Durham, Mert N. Aksu, Brian M. Lange

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

This study explores the little-understood process of evaluating the performance of assistant and associate deans at dental colleges in the United States and Canada. Specifically, this research aimed to identify the methods, processes, and outcomes related to the performance appraisals of assistant/associate deans. Both deans and assistant/associate deans were surveyed. Forty-four of sixty-six deans (66.7 percent) and 227 of 315 assistant/associate deans (72.1 percent) completed surveys with both close-ended and open-ended questions. In addition, ten individuals from each group were interviewed. Results indicate that 75-89 percent of assistant/associate deans are formally evaluated, although as many as 27 percent may lack …

Functional Activities And Immunohistochemical Cellular Distribution Of Glutathione S-Transferases In Normal, Dysplastic, And Squamous Cell Carcinoma Human Oral Tissues., Peter J. Giannini, Mark A. Morse, Christopher M. Weghorst, Ping Pei, Susan R. Mallery

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Clinical data show a strong correlation between tobacco and alcohol use and the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). While this association implies that the oral mucosa actively metabolizes carcinogens, there is little information which depicts the carcinogen metabolizing enzymes within the oral cavity. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) primary function is to detoxify carcinogens by increasing their water solubility, GSTs represent key carcinogen metabolizing enzymes. Notably, individuals with a null phenotype for certain GST isoforms are at an increased risk to develop cancer. This study investigated the function and distribution of GSTs in human oral tissues. Our results from this …

The State Of The Art In Evaluating The Performance Of Department Chairs And Division Heads., David G. Dunning, Timothy M. Durham, Mert N. Aksu, Brian M. Lange

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

This study explores the little understood process of evaluating the performance of department chairs/division heads in dental schools. Specifically, this research aimed to elucidate the methods, processes, and outcomes related to the job performance of department chairs/division heads. Forty-three deans and 306 chairs completed surveys with both close-ended and open-ended questions. In addition, ten deans and ten chairs were interviewed. Results indicate that 80 to 90 percent of department chairs are formally evaluated, although as many as 50 percent may lack job descriptions. Recommended best practices for performance appraisal--such as having at least yearly appraisals, holding face-to-face meetings, and setting …

The Current State Of Practice Administration Curricula In U.S. Dental Schools., Brian M. Lange, David G. Dunning, Denise C.L. Stewart, Jack L. Hardage

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

A Baseline Study Of Behavioral Science Instruction In Dental Schools., Brian M. Lange, David G. Dunning, Marty A. Lewis

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

The Changing Role Of Prevention In Dental Education., Brian M. Lange, David G. Dunning, Graham Shea

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Feedback On Student Use Of Interpersonal Communication Skills., David G. Dunning, Brian M. Lange

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Communication Tendencies Of Senior Dental Students., David G. Dunning, Brian M. Lange

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

Although the importance of dentist-patient communication is generally recognized, the dental literature does not specify what interpersonal behaviors can be used as a basis for evaluating dental students' communication skills. A set of behaviors based on clinical observations is described, and an evaluation of 25 senior students' behavioral skills is presented. Students often did not: (1) spend much time orienting patients before beginning treatment; (2) update medical histories; (3) ask patients if they had any questions before beginning treatment; (4) explain the operation and use of equipment; (5) forewarn patients about uncomfortable procedures; (6) attend to signs of patient discomfort; …