Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition Special Section | November 2013A20 OrtHOdONtICS NEWS Big-picture look at myofunctional orthodontics By Dr. Barry raphael, Clifton, N.J. After three decades practicing ortho- dontics, including experience with the “muscle-centric” philosophy of orofa- cial development, I was recently asked to provide a summary of the "big pic- ture" for a group of Buteyko practitio- ners who were not familiar with myo- According to myofunctional orthodontics, traditional orthodontics often operates as a compensation for misshapen jaws and, in the case of using extractions to relieve the crowding, is actually locking in the problem permanently by collapsing the dental arches to match the collapsed skeletal arches. Photo/Provided by Myofunctional Research ” See KNOWS, page A21 The nose knows ortho triBuNE SECtioN functional orthodontics. Here is my response: At issue is the head-on collision of the human face with the modern environ- ment. Anthropology demonstrates how the human face has changed in the past several hundred years, presumably as a result of the many stressors that have The career dilemma for graduating residents: Academe or private practice By Dennis J. tartakow, DMD, MEd, EdD, PhD, ortho tribune U.S. Editor in Chief ” See CAREER, page 21 There are compelling advantages to both private practice and academics. For each graduating resident, career decisions come down to determining which environment is best suited to his or her personality with regard to ortho- dontics. Choosing a path that coincides with one’s beliefs, philosophy, personal- ity and lifestyle is omnipotent. How- ever, the process of education itself is changing. No longer can an orthodon- tist teach by the way he or she learned (show, tell, do). We are moving toward an age where new academic skills, such as learning the methods of teaching and the process of course-designing, have become new goals and standards of education. Yet as educational programs continue to be improved, old problems still linger in academics and have a direct bearing on who will direct our future and become our successors. A new era of orthodontic education is dawning, and just how it will go is a conundrum — anyone’s guess. There are new creative programs in orthodon- tic education that address the reduc- tion of “qualified” orthodontic faculty members. Historically, at least since the 1990s, issues regarding recruitment and retention of qualified orthodontic faculty members have been and still are important and challenging topics at many orthodontic conferences, as noted by Roberts in 1997. When an environment for both aca- deme and research can become a rea- sonable career choice for graduating residents, the future of orthodontics will be positive (Bednar, 2007; Turpin, 2007; Peck, 2003). In past years, many residents had solid interests in teaching and research as a career choice (Larson, 1998). However, those days are gone. Orthodontic education has been in a state of flux — academics and research have not become competitive with full- time clinical practice as career options (Peck, 2003). Specifically, the problems associated with recruitment and reten- tion of full-time orthodontic faculty members have been and are still on a spiraling decline (Turpin, 2007). The preservation of pedagogy in orthodon- tic education, the potential social jus- tice implications, and impact on the public are directly related to: (a) educa- tion of well-trained orthodontists, (b) health care delivery, (c) outreach pro- grams, (d) welfare agencies, and (e) pub- lic service communication. When applicants are interviewed for a residency position, many speak about their aspirations of joining a faculty and becoming active in research after graduation. For an applicant holding a PhD., he or she often mentions full-time teaching in addition to becoming a re- searcher. However, by the end of his or her educational program, goals soon be- came more about clinical practice and making money rather than an academic career; no longer is teaching or research a priority. Bednar (2007) stated, “In 2004–2005 there were 250 funded yet unfilled full-time faculty positions at dental schools across the country, 19 of which were vacancies in orthodontic programs.” According to Turpin (2007), two of the most urgent problems facing ortho- dontics were attracting more qualified individuals for careers in orthodontic education and replenishing the attri- tion of full-time postgraduate faculty positions. Our leadership has addressed these educational issues but has not been able to reverse the declining num- ber of well-trained, full-time faculty members. If faculty vacancies continue to rise, it would have a negative impact upon the (a) education of orthodontic residents, (b) future of the profession and (c) health care and educational re- sources for the public and society (Trot- man et al., 2002). On a different but related issue, most postgraduate orthodontic program faculty members have never had any formal training in the methodology of teaching or course design; they teach what they learned from their own clini- cal experiences. With this in mind, it is encouraging to see a few new and novel educational programs for junior and mid-career orthodontic faculty mem- bers to learn about such academic skills. One of the first workshops on fac- ulty career enrichment in orthodon- tics (FACE) occurred in October 2012. The second FACE workshop was held this year on March 7 at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. These workshops, led by recognized orth- odontic teaching experts, included an interactive format with topics such as: • Principles of course design starting with the end in mind. • Methods to encourage active learn- ing in the classroom and clinic setting. • Methods for successfully incorpo- rating technology into the classroom. Another related program for faculty Dr. Dennis J. tartakow