Dental Education During COVID-19: A Time of Challenges and Opportunities Karen P. West, DMD, MPH, FACD President and CEO, American Dental Education Association Dr. West is the President and CEO of the American Dental Educators Association and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
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n late February of last year, I was preparing for the 2020 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition. It would have been my first as ADEA’s President and CEO. However, on March 9, 2020, we canceled our conference as COVID-19 emerged as a significant health threat in the United States. Two days later, the World Health Organization officially recognized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic and on March 13, a national emergency was declared for the United States.1 In short order, dental schools, dental clinics and dental practices either closed initially or significantly curtailed their services as authorities sought to get a handle on how to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The approaches to closures and subsequent re-openings have varied by jurisdiction, reflecting the numerous (and shifting) state and local orders in play.2
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One year later, dental education, like many professions and institutions of higher learning, is still reeling from the impact of COVID-19 and assessing how to move forward. While the pandemic introduced a new series of challenges to our world, it also brought front and center a number of complex issues we have wrestled with for years, ranging from increasing financial pressures on institutions and students alike3 to a long-standing debate about pathways to licensure—and the need for more flexibility. To a certain, and obvious, extent, the COVID-19 pandemic marks a moment of unparalleled crisis for dental education. On the fiscal front, schools are facing a double whammy: the loss of revenue due to the initial closure and reduced services of dental school clinics juxtaposed against unexpected expenses, such as facility modifications to allow for physical distancing, testing for COVID-19 and the need for more personal protective equipment. Additionally, dental schools and programs have had to invest in new technologies and training to accommodate a breathtakingly rapid shift to virtual formats for didactic education. That shift placed acute demands (and stress) on faculty and students to master these technologies. Perhaps even more acutely concerning are wellness and mental health considerations resulting from the loss of face-to-face interactions, which we have all experienced.4
2021 Volume 88, Number 1
