All hazards training: incorporating a catastrophe preparedness mindset into the dental school curriculum and professional practice

Catastrophic preparedness should be incorporated into the dental school curriculum. The experience at New York University College of Dentistry is that a combination of catastrophic preparedness elements integrated within existing courses with a short, meaningful capstone course dedicated to all hazards preparedness can be accomplished successfully and meet proposed competencies for training in the dental curriculum. The roles and responsibilities in catastrophic response preparedness and response of dentists are actively being discussed by the dental profession. An element of that discussion has to include the "what" and "how" of education and training for dentists at the predoctoral level and after dental school graduation. The concepts presented in this article should be debated at all levels of the profession.