b'A predoctoral program chairstheyre more likely to realize that the right thingon the agenda when the postdoctoral perspective for their patient is to refer those kinds of casesprogram directors meet at the 2021 Annual Dr. Jennifer Bain is Chair of the Predoctoralto someone who can do it much better andMeeting. Almost every student submits a Directors Committee of the Academysfaster than they can. beautiful application package with glowing Education Committee and Chair of theTwo postdoctoral program chairsrecommendations, he said. When you take Department of Periodontics and Preventiveperspectives away the metrics provided by grade point Sciences at the University of Mississippi Schoolaverages, it makes it much more difficult to of Dentistry.The AAP asked two leading postdoctoralobjectively assess applicants to your program.program directors - Dr. Angela Palaiologou-The challenge, she said, for predoctoralGallis, the Graduate Program Director forDr. Katateew feels that one of the biggest educators is to train their students to be able toPeriodontics at the University of Texas Healthtrends impacting postdoctoral education in perform basic periodontal treatments while alsoat San Antonio, and Dr. Dwaye Karateew,periodonticsas well as in other specialties teaching them to understand when the patientGraduate Program Director for Periodontics has been the dramatic growth in the role would be best served by seeing a periodontist.and the University of Illinois Chicago Schoolplayed by digital dentistry. Like many new This challenge is being exacerbated by theof Dentistryfor their thoughts on recenttechnologies, digital dentistry is a double-fact that most newer dental schools haveand future developments with postdoctoraledged sword for postdoctoral programs, he embracedand many older schools haveperiodontal education.said. On the one hand, it has opened up a switched tothe generalist-approach wherebynew world of better and faster ways to care undergraduates receive didactic and/orDr. Palaiologou-Gallis is concerned about thefor patients. On the other hand, it requires clinical instruction for periodontics and otherfact that so many predoctoral dental programsschools not only to learn the latest techniques specialties from general dentists. Basedare moving to pass-fail grading systems.and acquire the latest toolsmany of which on the limited range and complexity of theWere running out of objective assessmentscan be quite expensivebut to attempt to periodontal cases these students are exposedof postdoctoral program applicants, she said.determine which of those tools deliver the best to, they might be entering general practiceIts gotten hard for dental schools to giveperformance. thinking they have a better understanding oflow grades or to fail students these days. The student who does mediocre work gets theWhile getting up to speed on the latest digital periodontics than they actually do. As a result,technology requires significant due diligence they will either take on procedures that they aresame passing grade given to the student who does excellent work, she said.on the part of the postdoctoral programs, not properly equipped to handle, or they willdoing so is a high priority. As educators, we miss identifying problems that could easily beDr. Karateew agrees. This generation ofowe a debt of responsibility to our residents to treated by a trained specialist. 20- and 30-year-olds is different from pastensure that they have a solid understanding of Dr. Bain believes that while generalist-basedgenerations, he said. They learn differentlythe basic tools that will be available to them as programs might want to persuade their than we did. They have a different respect forthey enter clinical practice, said Dr. Karateew. predoctoral students to refer more whenauthority than we did. And they react differentlyAnd we feel very confident that our residents they enter practice, many of them are takingto pressure and criticism than we did. I wouldare leaving our schools very well-prepared to a flawed approach. They just dont let thelove to have a staff psychologistnot for ourdeliver excellent periodontal care.students perform periodontal proceduresresidents to utilize, but to help our faculty anymore, and as a result these studentsbetter understand our residents. A CODA Commissioners perspectivedont know what they dont know. At theThe adoption of predoctoral pass-fail gradingDr. Jim Katancik, Chair of the Department of University of Mississippi School of Dentistry has greatly diminished the external incentive toPeriodontology at the Oregon Health & Science which follows the specialist/discipline-basedexcel, which makes it very difficult to determineUniversity, spoke to Periospectives about the modelDr. Bains undergraduates do notwhich applicants are the most talented or mostrole played in periodontal education by the merely observe periodontal surgery; theymotivated, said Dr. Palaiologou-Gallis. Its aCommission on Dental Accreditation, or CODA. actually get involved in the surgery with heavydisservice to truly deserving students who dontMost Academy members are certainly aware supervision from a periodontist. When theyget accepted because we or other postdoctoralof CODA, but Dr. Katancik suspects that many simply watch a skilled periodontist performprograms werent able to accurately assessmay not fully understand its purpose or the a crown lengthening procedure or a softtheir potential.Academys relationship with the organization. tissue procedure, it looks easy, she said. But when they have to elevate a flap andDr. Karateew, who also serves as theDr. Katancik, who has been involved with debride a defect, they come away with a deepAcademys Postdoctoral CommitteeCODA in varying capacities for nearly 15 appreciation of how difficult it is. And I thinkChair, pointed out that this issue will beContinued on page 8AAP Periospectives| 7'