The cost of higher education and its implication for dental education.

In summary, the committee remains convinced that dental education and the dental profession continue to be valuable public resources, greatly respected in the eyes of the public and worthy of the educational investment by students, institutions, federal, and state governments and, ultimately, the public. Among the 54 dental schools, there are 54 different financial situations. It is difficult to generalize about them, but it is not difficult to see, from the information presented, that all are not optimizing their finances and their educational programs. It is the committee's perception that many of the private dental schools and some of the public dental schools are teetering on the verge of extinction. Unless substantial actions are taken, the irretrievable loss of some of these schools is likely to occur. While this committee cannot prescribe actions for all of the schools, it is evident that systematic and sustained effort is needed to prevent these losses. The solution to this complex problem cannot be solely that of dental education. It has to become the concern of all the related constituencies of the profession. Economic factors will continue to increase the cost of education.