Comparison of Dental Care Delivery by Dental Mentors (Teachers), Dental Residents and Non-Teaching Dental Specialists.

Selected US Army Dental Corps officers receive dental specialty training in six military occupational specialty MOS producing programs which are conducted within Continental United States CONUS dental activities subordinate to HSC. These programs include dental residencies in endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, fixed prosthodontics, removable prosthodontics, and general dentistry. The purposes of this three part study were 1 to determine the relative amounts of dental care delivered by dental officers who are residents, dental officers serving as mentors, and other dental officers who are trained specialists serving in non-teaching positions 2 to determine the productivity capabilities of dental officers involved in specialty training programs and 3 to determine the treatment and educational resources available at selected US Army Health Services Command HSC dental activities. It is concluded that there is an equitable distribution of the available resources for delivering patient care when comparing teaching and non-teaching dental specialty care delivery environments. Mentors spend significantly more time in otheradditional duties and absences than do residents, and they spend significantly more time in indirect patient care, teachingeducation duties, and total after duty hours than do Non-Teaching Specialists NTSs. Residents spent significantly more time in direct patient care than do mentors and they spend significantly more time in indirect patient care, teachingeducation duties and total after duty hours than do the mentors or the NTSs.