DT News - UK - Workforce figures present mixed blessings for dental academics

Dental Tribune UK

Wed. 15 August 2018

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LONDON, UK: A recently released report on the state of Britain’s dental clinical academic workforce has highlighted both positive and negative trends in staffing levels. Published by the Dental Schools Council (DSC), the report shows that, while overall employment of dental clinical academics continues to rise, the number of these academics who are at a professorial level has decreased.

The DSC’s report highlights that there has been a 2.2 per cent increase in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) clinical academics employed at British dental schools since 2016 and a 2.7 per cent increase in FTE lecturers since 2015.

On the downside, there has been an 8.3 per cent decrease in clinical academics at a professorial level since 2016, while the proportion of the dental clinical academic workforce employed part-time has risen from 57 per cent in 2015 to 59 per cent. In addition, a shift from research-active to teaching contracts was measured.

“The continued increase in the number of clinical academic staff is a testament to the work that has been done, particularly by dental schools, to showcase the benefit clinical academia brings to UK dental care,” said Prof. Chris Deery, Chair of the DSC.

“As this year’s data highlights, there is clearly much more left to do, especially in regard to filling vacancies. We are all too aware of the pressures on our health service and we need these talented individuals in roles that lead the way to more efficient and effective healthcare,” Deery continued.

The British Dental Association (BDA), in response to the report’s findings, stated that the shift from research to teaching contracts could have long-lasting negative impacts on UK dental academia.

“The latest figures on the workforce in dental schools show a worrying trend towards employing part-time staff to teach at the expense of research,” said Dr Giles McCracken, Chair of the BDA’s Central Committee for Dental Academic Staff.

“This is incredibly short-sighted and mechanistic and undermines the global reputation that dental schools in the UK have enjoyed till now. Without the capacity for research, UK dental schools will have ongoing problems attracting top-class staff and this will impact upon the future of the profession,” McCracken explained.

“Advances in dentistry require ongoing investment in our research talent, not aspirational platitudes. The Dental Schools Council needs to do more to attract the top talent to deliver not just quality teaching but also world-class dental research and thereby ensure the health of the profession in the long term,” he concluded.

The report, titled Survey of Dental Clinical Academic Staffing Levels: A Report by the Dental Schools Council, is available for online viewing here.

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