Dental Schools

Times are tough enough for Californians; they're even tougher for Californians' teeth. "One-quarter of all adults and 28% of children in California have untreated dental caries [cavities]," says Len Finocchio, a senior program officer at the California Healthcare Foundation, a health advocacy group. "Our research tells us that many people in California have been avoiding routine care that might have cost about $100 for a checkup and cleaning, and then find themselves in the emergency room, where they get only an antibiotic, a bill that can average over $600 and instructions to see a dentist."

Times are tough enough for Californians; they're even tougher for Californians' teeth. "One-quarter of all adults and 28% of children in California have untreated dental caries [cavities]," says Len Finocchio, a senior program officer at the California Healthcare Foundation, a health advocacy group. "Our research tells us that many people in California have been avoiding routine care that might have cost about $100 for a checkup and cleaning, and then find themselves in the emergency room, where they get only an antibiotic, a bill that can average over $600 and instructions to see a dentist."

The myth that dentists tend to be insensitive to their patients' sensitivities dies hard--sustained, I'm sure, by generations of cartoons depicting practitioners in all manner of fiendish gyrations. But I hope it may provide some comfort to people to report that, by and large, dentists not only have a natural human sympathy for patients' feelings but dealing effectively with these feelings, assuaging patients' qualms, is an integral part of training in our leading dental schools.

In an unusual lawsuit against the American Dental Assn., 13 students at UCLA's School of Dentistry contend they were falsely accused of aiding cheaters on a national examination and unfairly denied a chance to defend themselves. The dental association alleges that the students did not cheat during their own tests but violated rules by remembering and writing down exam questions distributed later to others preparing for a test.

The UCLA School of Dentistry was hit by separate scandals Tuesday involving allegations of favoritism toward relatives of deep-pocket donors and student cheating on licensing examinations, university authorities acknowledged. The American Dental Assn. is investigating allegations of cheating by at least a dozen UCLA students as well as students from USC, Loma Linda University and New York University, UCLA officials said.

You may not know it, but there's a battle being waged for your teeth. In Southern California and across the country, dentists are sending out small gifts, writing personal thank-you notes, publishing newsletters and updating their skills and their office decor as the struggle over the nation's teeth and gums becomes, well, a genteel tooth-and-nail battle for market share.

In an unusual lawsuit against the American Dental Assn., 13 students at UCLA's School of Dentistry contend they were falsely accused of aiding cheaters on a national examination and unfairly denied a chance to defend themselves. The dental association alleges that the students did not cheat during their own tests but violated rules by remembering and writing down exam questions distributed later to others preparing for a test.

The Century Club, a support group for the USC School of Dentistry that previously pledged $400,000 for its library / learning center, has pledged an additional $1 million. Construction is scheduled to start 1987.

In a lawsuit that describes a Loma Linda University dental school postdoctoral program as a bastion of male sexism, a former student alleges that she was targeted with crude sexual remarks and behavior by other dentists--all men--before being dismissed from the program after complaining. Dr.

I went to see my dentist the other day, and within minutes she had me teary-eyed. No, it wasn't that metal thing with the sharp point. "Nobody likes us," she said. "That's not true," I told her, wincing--not from pain, but from telling a fib. "It is true," she said. "You know what the first thing some people say when they come in is? 'I hate going to the dentist.' Do you know how that makes you feel?" Let's see.

In the wake of allegations that financial donations influenced admissions decisions to an elite residency program, the UCLA School of Dentistry on Wednesday released details of new rules that are supposed to eliminate even the appearance of impropriety.

The UCLA School of Dentistry was hit by separate scandals Tuesday involving allegations of favoritism toward relatives of deep-pocket donors and student cheating on licensing examinations, university authorities acknowledged. The American Dental Assn. is investigating allegations of cheating by at least a dozen UCLA students as well as students from USC, Loma Linda University and New York University, UCLA officials said.

To compare the top two quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference this year: Mississippi senior Eli Manning finished with 27 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 147.5. Louisiana State redshirt junior Matt Mauck had 28 touchdown passes and a rating of 152.2. Manning may be a top-five pick in the 2004 NFL draft. Mauck may enroll in ... dental school. Sink your teeth into that.

I went to see my dentist the other day, and within minutes she had me teary-eyed. No, it wasn't that metal thing with the sharp point. "Nobody likes us," she said. "That's not true," I told her, wincing--not from pain, but from telling a fib. "It is true," she said. "You know what the first thing some people say when they come in is? 'I hate going to the dentist.' Do you know how that makes you feel?" Let's see.

Dr. James R. Hooley, 67, former dean of the UCLA Dental School who worked to improve the status of dentistry. A native of Stillwater, Minn., Hooley studied oral surgery at St. Louis University and then taught at the University of Washington. He came to Los Angeles to head the UCLA Dental School in 1981 and remained until 1986. Dentistry, he told The Times in 1983, "suffers from a horrible public relations problem."

After nearly a month of unnerving racist threats against minority students at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry, police arrested an unlikely suspect early Thursday: a 23-year-old African American woman in her second year at the school. Tarsha Michelle Claiborne of Baton Rouge, La., allegedly sent several threatening e-mail messages from a university computer--including a bomb threat that closed the college Tuesday as 30 bomb squad officers went through every locker and desk.

My new job offered excellent medical benefits with one hitch: no dental coverage until after the first year. Perhaps I could go without dental benefits for one year? It seemed a calculated risk worth taking, my husband and I thought. We were enrolled in my husband's medical plan, paying almost $100 a month out of pocket. It included dental coverage, but the monthly contribution took too big a bite out of our budget.

Loyola University said Monday that it will close its dental school, partly because Americans are not getting cavities the way they once did. Loyola President Raymond Baumhart said that state-supported schools with cheaper tuition are attracting more dental students from an increasingly smaller pool.

My new job offered excellent medical benefits with one hitch: no dental coverage until after the first year. Perhaps I could go without dental benefits for one year? It seemed a calculated risk worth taking, my husband and I thought. We were enrolled in my husband's medical plan, paying almost $100 a month out of pocket. It included dental coverage, but the monthly contribution took too big a bite out of our budget.

In a lawsuit that describes a Loma Linda University dental school postdoctoral program as a bastion of male sexism, a former student alleges that she was targeted with crude sexual remarks and behavior by other dentists--all men--before being dismissed from the program after complaining. Dr.