Mark Scarbecz, Ph.D.

History is a race between education and catastrophe" -- H.G. Wells


Assistant Dean for Institutional Affairs
Professor
Dept. of Bioscience Research
University of Tennessee College of Dentistry
875 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38163 (USA)
901-448-1211
mscarbecz@uthsc.edu

My vita (PDF format)
 


Background:

I received a B.A. in Statistics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. I was trained as a sociologist at the University of Arizona, where I received my Ph.D. in 1991. From 1989-1999, I was a sociology professor at Francis Marion University (Florence, SC), where I taught courses in Research Methods, Statistics and Research Design as well as substantive courses in the Sociology of the Family and Sociological Social Psychology. During my tenure at Francis Marion University, I became involved in Institutional Effectiveness, Institutional Research, and the assessment of outcomes of academic programs in higher education. That lead to my position at the University of Tennessee as the Director of Planning and Assessment in the College of Dentistry and more recently, Assistant Dean for Institutional Affairs & Professor in the Department of Bioscience Research. I strongly believe that outcomes assessment data can be used to make improvements in programs and services which lead to enhanced student learning and better patient care.

I teach several didactic courses in the College of Dentistry. At the pre-doctoral level, I teach Informatics and Evaluation of Dental Literature and behavioral science courses, including a behavioral science simulation course. At the post-doctoral level, I teach courses in biostatistics and clinical research design, and I serve as research advisor and thesis committee member for dental residents in several dental specialty programs.

In addition to the analysis of clinical research data, I have an active research agenda in what might best be termed the Sociology of Dentistry. My interests include the role of women in dentistry, racial and ethnic disparities in oral health, trends in the dental profession, and the relationship between oral health and general health and well-being.



Publications and Published Abstracts
  1. Shiloah J, Bland PS, Scarbecz M, Patters MR, Stein SH, Tipton DA. The effect of long term aspirin intake on the outcome of non-surgical periodontal therapy in smokers: A double-blind, randomized pilot study. J Periodontal Res 2013. Apr. doi: 10.1111/jre.12085. PMID: 23594239
  2. Seeberg MS, Scarbecz M, Hottel TL. An Innovative Behavioral Science Curriculum at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. J Tenn Dent Assoc In press, Spring, 2013.
  3. Antonelli J., Hottel TL, Brandt R, Scarbecz M, Patel T. The Role of Occlusal Loading in the Pathogenesis of Non-carious Cervical Lesions. Am J Dent. Apr 2013. 26(2):86-92.
  4. Scarbecz M. Nudging your patients towards oral health. J Am Dent Assoc. Aug 2012. 143(8):907-915. PMID: 22855907
  5. Ahuja S, Cagna D, Wicks R, Brandt R, Scarbecz M. Immediate effect of occlusal errors on masticatory muscle activity in denture wearers: A pilot study. 2012. Intl. J. of Experimental Dental Science. January-June 2012;1(1):1-7.
  6. Shintaku WH, Scarbecz M, Venturin JS. Evaluation of interproximal caries using the iPad2 and a liquid crystal display monitor. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology 2012;May 113(5):e40-44. PMID: 22668638
  7. Lewis MW, Wasson W, Scarbecz M, Aubertin MA, Woods M, Himel VT. Tennessee Smiles: The UT grassroots oral health outreach initiative. J Tenn Dent Assoc. 2011 Fall; 91(4):20-7. PMID:22256701
  8. Scarbecz M, Redmond DC. (BOOK REVIEW) Dental Practice: Get in the Game.J Dent Educ. 2011; Nov 75(11):1516-1517.
  9. Scarbecz M, Russell CK, Shreve RG, Robinson MM, Scheid CR. Faculty development to improve teaching at a health sciences center: A needs assessment. J Dent Educ. 2011 Feb; 75(2):145-159. PMID: 21293037
  10. Angel JS, Mincer HH, Chaudhry J, Scarbecz M. Cone-beam Computed Tomography for Analyzing Variations in Inferior Alveolar Canal Location in Adults in Relation to Age and Sex. J Forensic Sci. 2011 Jan; 56(1):216-219. PMID: 20666920
  11. Russell CK, Shreve R, Hofmann P, Scarbecz M, Scheid C, Brescia W, Schwab C, Robinson MM. Assessing the Scholarship of Teaching on an Academic Health Science Center Campus. Submitted to: Transformative Dialogues. Teaching and Learning Journal (Centre for Academic Growth, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, B.C. Canada.) Transformative Dialogues: teaching and learning eJournal. 2010; March. 3(3).
  12. Scarbecz M, Redmond DC. (BOOK REVIEW) Dental Practice Transition: A Practical Guide to Management. J Dent Educ. 2009; Dec 73:1423-1424.
  13. Gala A, Donaldson M, Scarbecz M. Caries Risk Assessment in Restorative Pediatric Dentistry. J Dent Res 2009;88 (Spec Iss A):2524. (www.dentalresearch.org). ABSTRACT
  14. Thomas R, Chaudhry J, Scarbecz M, Chaudhry S. Efficacy of High-Resolution Digital Bitewings in Diagnosing Incipient Proximal Caries.J Dent Res 2009; 88 (Spec Iss A): 3346.(www.dentalresearch.org). ABSTRACT
  15. Welk A, Maggio MP, Simon JF, Scarbecz M, Harrison JA, Wicks RA, Gilpatrick RO. Computer-assisted learning and simulation lab with 40 DentSim units.Int J Comput Dent. 2008;11(1):17-40. English, German. PMID: 18780559
  16. Scarbecz M.(BOOK REVIEW) Critical Thinking. Understanding and Evaluating Dental Research. 2nd. Ed. Brunette, Donald Maxwell (with Contributors: Kathryn Hornby, Carol Oakley) ISBN: 978-0-86715-426-9. 2008 Oct;J Dent Educ 72(10):1209-1210.
  17. Stewart J, Mincer H, Chaudhry J, Scarbecz M. Cone-beam computed tomography analysis of alveolar canal location. J Dent Res 2008; 87(Spec Iss A):0867. (ABSTRACT)
  18. Scarbecz M.Evidence-Based Dentistry Resources for Dental Practitioners. J Tenn Dent Assoc. 2008 Spring; 88(2):9-13. PMID:18593092
  19. Scarbecz M, Ross JA. The Relationship between Gender and Postgraduate Aspirations among First- and Fourth-Year Students at Public Dental Schools: A Longitudinal Analysis. J Dent Educ 2007 Jun; 71(6):797-809. PMID: 17554097
  20. Scarbecz M. Using the DISC system to motivate dental patients. J Am Dent Assoc 2007 Mar; 138(3):381-5. PMID: 17332044
  21. Unkel JH, Brickhouse TH, Sweatman TW, Scarbecz M, Tompkins WP, Eslinger CS. A comparison of 3 routes of flumazenil administration to reverse benzodiazepine-induced desaturation in an animal model.Pediatr Dent. 2006 Jul-Aug;28(4):357-62. PMID: 16903446
  22. Stein SH, Wendell KJ, Pabst M, Scarbecz M. Profiling gingival crevicular fluid from smoking and non-smoking chronic periodontitis patients. J Tenn Dent Assoc. 2006 Spring;86(2):20-24.PMID: 16895007
  23. Patters MR, Bland PS, Shiloah J, Blankenship JA, Scarbecz M. Comparison of the Hydrabrush® Powered Toothbrush with Two Commercially-Available Powered Toothbrushes. Journal of the International Academy of Periodontology 2005;7: 80-89.PMID: 16022024
  24. Scarbecz M, Ross JA. Women in Dentistry. Current trends in practice and dental education. Woman Dentist J. 2005 Mar; 3(3):18,20,22,24,26.
  25. Stein SH, Green BE, Scarbecz M. Augmented Transforming Growth Factor-B1 in Gingival Crevicular Fluid of Smokers With Chronic Periodontitis. J. Periodontol. 2004 Dec; 75(12): 1619-1626. PMID: 15732863
  26. Scarbecz M. Enhancing relationships among dental team members: The application of research on marital interaction. J Am Dent Assoc 2004 Nov; 135(11):1591-1596. PMID: 15622664
  27. Blankenship, JA, Mincer HH, Scarbecz M, Woods, MA, Burton EL. Accuracy and precision of third molar development as an indicator of chronological age in African Americans. Proceedings of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (F22) 2004; 10:208-209.(abstract)
  28. Tran NH, Scarbecz M, Gary JJ. In vitro evaluation of color change in maxillofacial elastomer through the use of an ultraviolet light absorber and a hindered amine light stabilizer. J Prosthet Dent. 2004 May;91(5):483-90. PMID: 15153857
  29. Lewis MW, Holder-Ballard C, Selders RJ, Scarbecz M, Johnson HG, Turner EW. Comparison of the use of a toothpick holder to dental floss in improvement of gingival health in humans. J. Periodontol. 2004 April; 75(4):551-556.PMID: 15152819
  30. Wendell KJ, Stein SH, Pabst M, Scarbecz M. Gingival crevicular fluid from smoking and non-smoking chronic periodontitis patients. J Dent Res 83(Spec Iss A):2945,2004
  31. Bland PS, Blankenship JA, Shiloah J, Scarbecz M, Patters MR. Comparison of the Hydrabrush powered toothbrush with Sonicare and Oral-B. J Dent Res 83(Spec Iss A):2429, 2004
  32. Tompkins W, Sweatman TW, Unkel JH, Scarbecz M, Randolph MM, Funk A. Serum flumazenil and oxygen saturation levels: an animal model comparison. J Dent Res 83(Spec Iss A):1161 ,2004
  33. Wu JC, Latta GH Jr, Wicks RA, Swords RL, Scarbecz M. In vitro deformation of acetyl resin and metal alloy removable partial denture direct retainers. J Prosthet Dent. 2003 Dec;90(6):586-90. PMID: 14668760
  34. Shook LW, Turner EW, Ross J, Scarbecz M. Effect of surface roughness of cavity preparations on the microleakage of Class V resin composite restorations. Oper Dent. 2003 Nov-Dec;28(6):779-85.PMID: 14653294
  35. Scarbecz M, Ross JA. Gender differences in first-year dental students' motivation to attend dental school. J Dent Educ. 2002 Aug;66(8):952-61.PMID: 12214843
  36. Wiltfang GL, Scarbecz M. Social Class and Adolescents' Self-Esteem: Another Look. Soc Psych Q. 1990.53(2):174-83. Thomson Gale Document Number:A8878574

Selected Professional Presentations

    • Turner EW, Needell BL, Mincer H, Scarbecz M. Report on a survey of forensic odontologists. 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Chicago, IL, Feb 21-26, 2011.
    • J. Shiloah, P.S. Bland, M. Scarbecz, D. Tipton, M.R. Patters, S.H. Stein. Daily Intake of Aspirin and Periodontal Therapy in Smokers. (IADR, Barcelona Spain, July 14-17, 2010)
    • Karydis A, Rawal SY, Scarbecz M, Bland PS. Assessment of the Graduate Clinic’s Dental Care from the Patient’s Perspective (ADEA, Feb, 2010, Washington, DC)
    • Scarbecz M. Thinking Outside the Box. Applying Lessons from Psychology, Sociology & Behavioral Economics to Dental Practice Management. December 11, 2009. (UTHSC)(Sponsored by UTCoD CE Dept.)
    • Wasson W, Scarbecz M, et.al. (Poster Presentation) Barriers to oral health education: The readability of oral health literature for lay populations. American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting and Expo, Philadelphia, PA. November 7-11, 2009.
    • Werth KJ, Scarbecz M. Availability of social support services for dental students: A survey of dental schools. Presentation in Behavioral Science Section. ADEA Annual Conference. March 14-28, 2009. Phoenix, AZ.
    • Gala A, Donaldson M, Scarbecz M. Caries Risk Assessment in Restorative Pediatric Dentistry. IADR/AADR/CADR 87th General Session and Exhibition (April 1-4, 2009). (Also UTCoD Student Research Day, February 17, 2009 and Hinman Student Research Symposium, Oct 31-November 2, 2008)
    • Thomas R, Chaudhry J, Scarbecz M, Chaudhry S. Efficacy of High-Resolution Digital Bitewings in Diagnosing Incipient Proximal Caries. IADR/AADR/CADR 87th General Session and Exhibition (April 1-4, 2009). (Also UTCoD Student Research Day, February 17, 2009 and Hinman Student Research Symposium, Oct 31-November 2, 2008)
    • Scarbecz M, Wasson W. Barriers to Prevention of Racial Disparities in Oral Health: The Readability of Oral Health Literature for Lay Populations. Presented at the MidSouth Sociological Association (MSSA) Annual Meetings, Mobile, AL, October, 2007.
    • Scarbecz M, Gilpatrick RO. A Pilot Test of an Audience Response System (ARS) for Student Course Evaluations in a College of Dentistry. Poster Presentation. American Dental Education Association 84th Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, March 2007. • The Effects Of Race And Household Income On Tooth Decay Among School Aged Children And Adolescents In The United States.; Presented at the MidSouth Sociological Association (MSSA) Annual Meetings, Lafayette, LA, October, 2006
    • Using an Audience Response System for Course Evaluation; Presented at Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR) Meetings; Brentwood,TN; August,2006
    • The Disconnect Between General And Oral Health. 2006. Alabama Public Health Association and Southern Health Association Annual Conference, May 4-5, 2006. Birmingham, AL.
    • The Disconnect Between General And Oral Health. 2005.Tennessee Public Health Association Annual Conference, Sept 15, Franklin, TN
    • Women in Dentistry. Current Trends in Practice and Dental Education. 2004. Invited Speaker. American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA, July.
    • Holder-Ballard C, Scarbecz M. Moving toward cultural competency: Cross-cultural adaptability of allied health faculty and students (Poster). 2004. Annual Session, American Dental Hygienist’s Association, Dallas, TX, June.
    • The Disconnect between Oral and General Health. Annual Conference of the Southern Sociological Society, Atlanta, GA. April, 2004.
    • Surviving Accreditation at a Professional School: Some Successful Strategies for Demonstrating Ongoing and Systematic Outcomes Assessment. Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR) Annual Conference, Brentwood, TN, August, 2003. • Using Microsoft Access to track Student Competencies. Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR) Annual Conference, Brentwood, TN, August, 2002.
The Duties of the Director of Planning and Assessment
1. Be able to provide professional knowledge and expertise to faculty, department chairs, and deans regarding educational and dental educational planning and outcomes assessment theory and practice
2. Be responsible for working with the faculty and administrators to continually develop, approve, and amend the Mission Statement of the College of Dentistry so that it reflects the purposes that underlie its goals and objectives.
3. Be responsible for working with the faculty and administrators to develop, approve, and amend a Strategic Plan that reflects the current goals and objectives of the College of Dentistry.
4. Be responsible for working with the faculty and administrators to develop, approve and implement an assessment process that measures the extent to which the goals and objectives of the College of Dentistry are being achieved, and provides a mechanism for utilizing the results to initiate change.
5. Be responsible for working with the faculty and administrators to develop, approve, and implement an assessment plan that delineates in detail the goals and objectives of the College of Dentistry and provides information in table format for how and by whom the assessment will be made.
6. Be responsible for developing, organizing, and participating in forums for faculty and administrators to exchange ideas on topics related to the future of the College of Dentistry as well as planing/assessment topics.
7. Be an ex officio member of the committees responsible for the areas of curriculum, planning, and assessment.
8. Be responsible for the administration of planning and assessment to assure that the goals and objectives of the Office are met.
9. Be responsible for collecting, cataloguing, and synthesizing the data collected from the planning and assessment process.		 10. Be responsible for the institutionalization of planning and assessment processes within the College of Dentistry and the community which it serves by assuring that they are systematic and ongoing at all levels - individual planning and assessment, departmental and/or divisional planning and assessment, school-wide planning and assessment.
11. Be responsible for conducting educational research to determine how and to what degree planning, assessment, and published data analyses impact the productivity, success, and morale of faculty, students, and staff
12. Increase the knowledge base and the visibility of the College of Dentistry through participation in regional and national educational forums on the topics of planning and assessment.
13. Provide instruction to departments and administrative units within the College of Dentistry on how to write appropriate goals and objectives, how to establish an outcomes measurement process, and how to utilize the results to initiate change.
14. Represent the College of Dentistry on university and other professional committees.
15. Serve as resource to the Dean on planning, assessment, and public relations issues.
16. Serve on committees, task forces, and ad-hoc councils as directed by the Dean.
17. Develop computer databases of planning and assessment data and generate clear and concise methods of displaying these data such that they can be readily interpreted by faculty and administrator of the College.
18. Develop scholarly activity, participate in teaching and provide service to the College and University consistent with that required to achieve promotion and tenure.
19. Complete other duties as assigned by the Department Chair and Dean.

College of Dentistry, Health Science Center Responsibilities and Professional Associations
  • College of Dentistry Webmaster
  • Course Evaluations Administrator
  • Partest Testing System, Assistant to the Associate Dean
  • Course Director, PDCH 107: Informatics and Evaluation of Dental Literature (Fall, D1)
  • Course Director, PDCH 204: Human Behavior and Dental Practice (Winter-Spring,D2)
  • Co-Director, PDCH 304: Patient Centered Dentistry (Behavioral Practicum) (Summer-Fall, D3)
  • Course Director, Graduate Biostatistics (Fall)
  • Course Director, Graduate Research/Experimental Design (Fall and Spring)
  • Course Director, Human Behavior and Dental Practice (Behavioral Science Course for Dental Residents)
  • Thesis advisor, Residency program in Pediatric Dentistry & Prosthodontic Dentistry
  • Chair, UTCoD Strategic Planning Committee
  • Member, UTCoD, Clinical Quality Assurance Committee
  • Member, UTCoD Committee of Faculty
  • Member, UTCoD Curriculum Committee
  • Member, UTCoD Information Technology Committee
  • Member, UTHSC, Faculty Development Task Force
  • Member, UTHSC, World Wide Web Task Force
  • Member, UTHSC SACS Institutional Effectiveness Cmt.
  • Member,American Sociological Association
  • Member, American Dental Education Association (Member,Council of Faculties; Member, Behavioral Science Section
  • Member, MidSouth Sociological Association (Member,Nominating Committee)
  • Member, Southern Sociological Society
  • Honorary Member, Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Psi Chapter (Dental Honor Society; University of Tennessee College of Dentistry)
  • Member, Richard Doggett Dean and Marguerite Taylor Dean Honorary Odontological Society (University of Tennessee College of Dentistry)
  • Member, Memphis Chapter, American Association for Dental Research (AADR)
  • Reviewer, Journal of the American Dental Association
  • Reviewer, Journal of Dental Education


Links of Professional Interest

Evidence Based Dentistry

Center for Evidence Based Dentistry

Cochrane Oral Health Group

Cochrane Collaboration

The Consort Statement

Professional: Higher Education Assessment & Dental School Accreditation

University of Tennessee College of Dentistry Strategic Plan
American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accrediation  Accreditation Standards
Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR)
Association for Institutional Research (AIR)
Tennessee Association for Institutional Research (TENNAIR)

Public Health

The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health in America (June 2000):  Sociology, Epidemiolgy, Demography and Dentistry

Sociology

American Sociological Association
MidSouth Sociological Association
Southern Sociological Society
U. California, Berkeley Survey Documentation & Analysis Project Access several survey data sets at the UC Berkeley, including the U.S. General Social Survey (GSS)
The CIA World Factbook
The U.S. Census Bureau



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