The video game generation is now in dental school.

It is with a mixture of shock and awe that I calculate that most members of this y e a r ’s new wave of dental students, the class of 2009, were born around 1984. Because I earned my dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964, let me paraphrase the title of the song “What a Difference a Day Makes” with a title of my own, “What a Difference 45 Years Makes.” My song might open with a stanza reminiscing about the class of 1964’s use of “crimping pliers” for copper bands. Following would be a verse marveling at the class of 2 0 0 9 ’s intuitive and (to me) intimidating, almost magical grasp of laptop computers. But the laptops are just the beginning; there is no end to the electronic gadgets and gizmos hanging from the modern student’s belt or backpack. Given this armamentarium, it should come as no surprise that, before beginning a lecture, I must always say “Please turn off cell phones and pagers.” However, my attempts to gain their attention usually prove futile— without their cell phones, the students simply flip open their laptops and begin messaging over the Internet. Every generation acquires a name—Generation X, the Baby Boomers—and so I have dubbed this group the Video-Game Generation.