AUTHOR=Spielman Andrew I. 

TITLE=Dental education and practice: past, present, and future trends

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oral Health

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oral-health/articles/10.3389/froh.2024.1368121

DOI=10.3389/froh.2024.1368121

ISSN=2673-4842

ABSTRACT=<p>This position paper explores the historical transitions and current trends in dental education and practice and attempts to predict the future. Dental education and practice landscape, especially after the COVID-19 epidemic, are at a crossroads. Four fundamental forces are shaping the future: the escalating cost of education, the laicization of dental care, the corporatization of dental care, and technological advances. Dental education will likely include individualized, competency-based, asynchronous, hybrid, face-to-face, and virtual education with different start and end points for students. Dental practice, similarly, will be hybrid, with both face-to-face and virtual opportunities for patient care. Artificial intelligence will drive efficiencies in diagnosis, treatment, and office management.</p>