Regarding Dr. Bruce Baum’s January JADA commentary, "Inadequate Training in the Biological Sciences and Medicine for Dental Students: An Impending Crisis for Dentistry" (
JADA 2007;138[1]: 16–26
): thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been employed in several dental practices all over this country. In my almost 22 years as a dentist, I have been told by my esteemed colleagues that I was "too much a doctor" when evaluating health histories, and that taking an Advanced Cardiac Life Support class was a waste of time for a general dentist.
I believe my dental school training gave me an adequate knowledge of internal medicine. But what really helped me was doing a general practice residency after graduation. That experience gave me a hands-on reality in which to solidify what academia had taught me.
Let’s face it, medicine and dentistry are mutually related, whether it’s oral metastasis of systemic cancer or a diabetic with a toothache who can’t eat. I agree with more training in dental school, and I’d like to see more continuing education courses in medicine.
