WHAT: The committee will hold four roundtable discussions on reality-based training, community-based clinical experience, distributed learning tools and a shortened pre-clinical curriculum.

Based on the independent success of many of these components, investigators believe this model offers a viable response to challenges that include a decline in the dentist-to-population ratio, a crisis in access to dental care in the nation's rural and low income areas, a shortage of dental faculty, dental students' debt burden and inflexibility in the current dental education infrastructure.

WHEN: The first roundtable will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 4. The remainder will be held throughout the first months of 2003.

WHERE: The Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom St., Philadelphia

Interviews with James Galbally, associate dean of Penn's School of Dental Medicine, or Raymond Fonseca, dean of the dental school, can be arranged by calling 215-898-1422.