 What do we celebrate at the USC School of Dentistry? What are we most proud of, and how do we show our pride and our passion for USC Dentistry? As the 11th Dean in the 108-year history of the School of Dentistry, I very much enjoy celebrating the numerous contributions of our faculty, staff, students and alumni to the Trojan Dental Community. It is very clear to me that I serve as a "cheerleader" for the enormous human talent that comprises the USC School of Dentistry. Each of us has the opportunity to be an ambassador for our school. For example, during March many of us had the pleasure of participating in the ADEA and IADR/AADR meetings that were held in Baltimore—a national and international gathering of educators and research scientists. USC faculty, staff and students presented seminars, workshops and lectures and were engaged in learning from others. Our USC faculty, staff and students literally "glittered" with their talents. Numerous deans and directors of residency programs from around the nation (and world) stopped me to offer how absolutely impressed they were to meet many of the soon-to-graduate seniors of the Class of 2005. Our first complete PBL Class of 2005 is making a significant impact upon dental specialty education across the nation. They are being described as bright, enthusiastic, mature and eager to learn.
I also feel that we can celebrate dentistry. I am very proud to be part of the health professions. Here at USC we have the Keck School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Gerontology and the USC Independent Health Professions (physical therapy, occupational therapy, occupational science and biokinesiology). Through shared research interests and activities, faculty from these various health professions collaborate and work together within sponsored research activities. For example, faculty from dentistry, medicine and pharmacy are studying molecular pathways of interest to craniofacial developmental biology. Faculty from physical therapy and dentistry are studying infant feeding disorders often associated with craniofacial dysmorphogenesis. In a different context, the Keck School of Medicine at USC and the School of Dentistry are currently applying together for a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This grant will fund efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the health professions by improving their competitiveness in the admissions process and to enhance the efforts of health professionals to reduce health disparities. In yet another direction, faculty from the Marshall School of Business and the School of Dentistry are beginning to plan a new Executive MBA Program in dental health, and faculty from the School of Engineering and the School of Dentistry are planning for a new bachelor's degree in bioengineering with an emphasis in dental technology. These are but a few of the ongoing inter-professional and interdisciplinary activities that characterize today's USC. I like to celebrate these activities! I encourage you to also celebrate these and so many other advances.We also celebrate the remarkable opportunities in the profession of dentistry. Today, the national applicant pool for dental education is up by six to seven percent. Here at USC, our applicant pool for this year's freshman class has approached 2,500 applicants for 144 freshman positions. Our international dentist program this year had 420 applicants for 32 positions (i.e., junior class standing). Increasingly, more of our graduates from the DDS program are gaining acceptance into the finest dental specialty programs in the nation. More than 25 percent of our graduates are seeking a fifth year or more of advanced dental education.
All of this activity and performance reflects the perception that a career in dentistry is an extraordinary return on investment. Let me outline a few trends. The California population presently reflects one-eighth of America (35 million people). The American population is growing and will soon reach 300 million people, whereas the ratio of dentists per population shows a trend toward a national shortage. By 2010, American dental care costs will reach $108 billion with growth of seven to nine percent per year. Increasingly, more Americans are retaining teeth and living longer than ever before. The fastest growing subpopulation in America are people 80 years of age and older. These trends are coupled with quality of life considerations that often translate into dental enhancements within the mature population such as adult orthodontics, esthetic dentistry, tooth whitening, implant dentistry, endodontics, periodontics and beyond. In recent years, there have been significant advances in dental technology, a remarkable trend that will only continue to grow. Today, 50 percent of dental costs are covered by various forms of dental insurance; 44 percent of costs are fee for service or direct reimbursement; and six percent of costs are provided through government programs (national statistics from 2004 Center for Medicare and Medicaid). As a consequence of these trends, dentists will increase income without increasing working time. Collectively, these and many other issues make a career in dentistry enormously gratifying.
Take a few moments to celebrate your colleagues, faculty, staff, students and alumni! Share your enthusiasm for their academic performance. Take time to congratulate your colleagues. As members of our USC Trojan dental community you live for the present and future. Life is always becoming rather than being. We are increasingly placing emphasis upon the "we" rather than the "I." And spring is here!
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