Incorporating Bioterrorism Training into Dental Education: Report of ADA-ADEA Terrorism and Mass Casualty Curriculum Development Workshop

Numerous areas have been identified in which the dental profession may be called upon to assist in the event of a major terrorism attack. In order to successfully fulfill these roles, dentists and dental students must be adequately prepared. Dental schools play a vital role in this preparation. Participants in an ADA-ADEA workshop reached consensus that all dental students should be trained in a core set of competencies enabling them to respond to a significant bioterrorism attack, help contain the spread of the attack, and participate in surveillance activities as appropriate upon direction of proper authorities. Further emergency response training should be available to individuals interested in gaining additional knowledge and skills to assist in response to an attack. Participants also concluded that, where possible, training should be seamlessly implemented into the current curriculum without the addition of new courses; however, the group also recognized the possible need for alternative models at some dental schools. Challenges to implementing bioterrorism training into the dental school curriculum include regional variation, management of the basic science curriculum, and financial considerations. The development of an exportable training package will be considered and funding sources explored in moving forward with the development of a curriculum.