daily nebraskan
friday, march 3, 1978
Dental college drills through 52,000 appointments
page 6
By John Ortmann
On-the-job training is the order of the day at the UNL
College of Dentistry, where 300 students pulled 2,774
patients through 52,000 appointments last year.
College Dean Richard Bradley said sophomore, junior
and senior dental students work on patients from the
community in the college's East Campus clinic. The
clinic can perform all kinds of dental work, he said,
including oral surgery.
The clinic's services are open to anyone, and appoint
ment can be made by phone, Bradley said. He added,
however, that not every patient is accepted for treatment
because students able to treat complex problems may
not always be available.
The clinic is self-supporting, Bradley said, because
clinic operations must be paid for by clinic income.
Treatment is realtively inexpensive, he said.
The college charges considerably less (one-half to
two-thirds as much) as private practices, charge. Bradley
said.
Bradley said that while freshmen dental students arc
exposed to patients, clinical work does not begin until the
sophomore year. Juniors and seniors pend most of their
time in the clinic, he said.
Senior dental student Charles James explained that
freshman and sophomore years are predominately acade
mic, although students do work on tooth-equipped
mannequins. The work on mannequins eases the transi
tion to patients, he said.
"The first time a student does a procedure on a patient
is not the first time he has done it." James said. "In the
sophomore year we start out with an introduction to
periodontic treatment, which involves the gums and soft
tissues of the mouth."
James said sophomores also learn how to till teeth
with silver amalgam and how to construct gold crowns.
The senior year is reserved for refinement of tech
niques, James said. Seniors also are exposed to more
complicated processes such as oral and restorative surgery.
"I feel qualified." he said. "Our whole time here is an
internship. I feel the people in my class arc competent.
They know correct procedures."
James said seniors also spend seven weeks working at
area hospitals and institutions with children and the
handicapped. This seven weeks is valuable in learning to
deal with scared patients, he said.
"By the time you get exposed to some of these stress
ful situations an ordinary patient seems easy to handle."
Sheri Vidlock of Lincoln is one of 40 enrolled in
the college's 4-year dental hygiene program. She said the
dental hygienist program also stresses the reality of
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Photo by Bob Pearson
An upperclass dental student works on one of the
College of Dentristry's 52,000 clinic appointments.
practice.
"We work on each other the first semester of the
junior year and on patients the second," she said. "In
the senior year we are assigned to three dental students
and take orders from them."
Bradley said that in addition to doing research and
providing continuing education to practicing dentists, the
college is an innovator.
A grant two years ago from the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation has financed a 3-year program stressing treat-
ment for the handicapped, Bradley said. UNL was one of
1 1 schools to receive the grant.
Special problems of the handicapped include medica
tions they may be taking and the physical inability to
get in and out of dentist's chairs, Bradley said. The thrust
of the program is to normalize treatment for the handi
capped, he said, explaining that in the past many den
tists were reluctant to treat them because it was thought
special techniques and equipment were needed.
Bradley said that last summer the college received a
three-year, SI. 5 million grant from the National Medical
Library to provide computerized instruction at the col
lege. The new system will allow students to test them
selves on different areas of knowledge, he said.
James said he would return to his hometown, falls
City, after his May graduation, ready to begin private
practice.
Exon will discuss
farm strike at UNL
Gov. J. James Lxon will be the keynote speaker Tues
day in the Last Union at a discussion of the farm strike
and agricultural policy.
The discussion, sponsored by agriculture honorar .
Alpha Zeta. will begin at 7 p.m. in the Great Plains Room
Lxon's 30-minutc opening speech will be followed b
10-minute presentations In Stan DeBoer. American Agri
culture spokesman : Ralph Knobel of the Farm Bureau and
Daryl Molle of the National Farmer's Organization.
Floor discussion and questions will be moderated In
Lverett Peterson, a CNF agricultural economics professor.
Ag Forum is an annual discussion of agriculture issues
to inform faculty members, students and the public, said
Bill ConneaK . Alpha Zeta president.
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For a taste
of Mexico.
Dine in or take-out.
Open at 1 1 00 am - 1 2 30 pm
Sundays 10:00 am - 10 00 pm
Foods of Mexico 17th & M 475-1048
East Campus landscape plans
near completion, name needed
Final Clearance
Sale!
Special: Kastle K-ll
with SALOMON
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Package Price -$1 19.00
o Head Skis o Caber o Dolomite
o Kastle Skis o Spalding o Ski Clothes
Additional savings on items already reduced.
Plenty of convenient parking. Open: 9-6 Mon.
Sat., 9-9 Thurs. 1 5 Sunday
Master Charge and Visa accepted.
Marine & Sports
1750 West "O" o 432-0366
A plan to landscape a barren area on
hast Campus may move a step closer to
completion on March 10. when a design
will be presented to UNL and hast Campus
administrators.
Horticultuie Professor Richard Sutton
said the presentation will be at 1 p.m. in
the I ast Union and will include discussion
of the design, funding sources and a name
for the area.
"One of the problems is that the area
doesn't have an identity Sutton said.
Tm getting tired of calling it 'the open
area south of the union."
Sutton said the design grew out of
projects completed last semester by his
planting design class, lour groups studied
the area and produced detailed designs,
including mock-ups and maps showing
wind flow, traffic and plant species to be
used.
The present design was developed by
Sutton and the I'NL grounds department,
using ideas from the class project, he said.
Sutton estimates the design will cost
S45.000 and will include sidewalks, grad
ing, a sprinkler system and plant materials.
If funding for the project is obtained.
Sutton said grading and sidewalks could
be finished by next fall. He estimated the
entire project could be completed by
June 1979."
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