How the insightful leadership of James English transformed a traditional dental school into a leading educational institution.

During the 1960s, the dental school at the University of Buffalo underwent a profound change, as a result of its merger with the State University of New York (SUNY), and, very importantly, because of the outstanding leadership provided by Dean James A. English. This article contrasts what the school was like in 1960 before Dean English's arrival, and what it had become in 1970 when his deanship ended.

Technological devices in the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders.

Claims have been made that certain diagnostic devices should be routinely used to differentiate between jaw dysfunction and normal variation and between various pathologic conditions of the temporomandibular joint. The claims that jaw-tracking devices have diagnostic value for detecting TMD are not well supported by the scientific evidence. The clinical usefulness of electromyography devices is limited because of technical, methodologic, and data interpretation problems, as well as significant overlap between asymptomatic and symptomatic groups.

Care of patients with temporomandibular disorders: an educational challenge.

The ability to recognize, evaluate, and manage patients with temporomandibular disorders is an important component of general dental practice. Therefore, information about these disorders should be a basic part of the dental curriculum. Although most dental schools do include this subject in their educational programs, its teaching typically involves the presentation of didactic material in formal lectures or in seminars.

The Third Educational Conference to Develop the Curriculum in Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain: introduction.

The principal aim of the Third Educational Conference to Develop the Curriculum in Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain was to enhance the teaching of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and orofacial pain to predoctoral dental students and to postdoctoral students in this field. Within this context, the conference sought to: (1) provide information regarding the current status of the predoctoral and postdoctoral teaching of TMD and orofacial pain, (2) present ways in which teaching of the basic sciences can be better integrated into the teaching of TMD and orofacial pain in the predoctoral and postdoctoral curriculum, (3) present ways in which the teaching of oral medicine can be better integrated into the teaching of TMD and orofacial pain in the predoctoral and postdoctoral curriculum, and (4) discuss how TMD and orofacial pain should be taught in a manner that is consistent with newly proposed accreditation standards. The papers addressing these specific aspects, as well as a summary paper on the conclusions from the conference, are presented in this issue of the journal.