Current Dental Education Research Articles

Needs analysis for an undergraduate dental curriculum in KPK, Pakistan: Gap identification and general needs assessment.

Dental institutes continue to face challenges in making the transition from a discipline-based to an integrated curriculum. The need analysis is often the first step in the development and implementation of any curriculum. This study intends to carry out a needs analysis for a contemporary dental curriculum in private and public sector dental colleges of Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan. The mixed method study was carried out at public and private dental institutes in Peshawar from April to July 2022. To guarantee triangulation, data were gathered from three sources. The first source was an analysis of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council's dental curriculum accreditation standards. The second source was gathering the experts' perspectives, and the final source was a systematic literature search to explore the necessity for an integrated undergraduate dental curriculum from the experiences and expertise of contemporary curricula. Thematic analysis identified the need for the dental curriculum to be a five-year BDS program, involvement of students, and inclusion of digital dentistry and environmental sustainability in the dental curriculum. PMDC accreditation standards focus on alignment in mission, vision, curricular outcomes, an integrated curriculum, and a quality assurance system for assessment. Experts identified the need for a patient-centered curriculum focusing on integrated patient care. They also identified that the current educational environment should be improved to sustain a contemporary dental curriculum in Pakistan. For the literature review, nine articles were included in the final review. The current dental curriculum is not accommodating to the needs of the students in Peshawar. The current dental education environment lacks the infrastructure, logistics, and teacher training to sustain the standards set by PMDC.

Linking current dental education to gerontological education to meet the oral health needs of growing aging populations.

This study aimed to recognize the gaps in dental education by studying the current level of geriatric oral health training of recent graduated dentists who have been admitted into an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program. The AEGD program was developed along with the Age-Friendly 4Ms model to enhance current dental education. We adopted the Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement model to test the effectiveness of the training for AEGD residents from 2019 to 2022. A total of 18 residents participated (6 residents each year). A 5-question survey was administered before and after the rotation and Wilcoxon signed-rank with Fisher Exact tests were conducted to compare pre- and post- rotation results. All 18 residents have completed pre- and post-program surveys. They self-reported minimal to no training in preparation to provide care to older adults with multiple chronic conditions. After the rotation, residents' confidence in treating older adults was significantly increased (p = 0.011). Meanwhile, residents gained knowledge to apply the 4Ms framework (what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility) to their practices (p = 0.015) and provide age-friendly care for older adults. The study identified and addressed the missing link in dental education to gerontological and geriatrics education. More clinical rotations and didactic training to equip residents with competences of providing geriatric oral health are strongly recommended.

Undergraduate students' perception of the Indian dental curriculum: A focus-group based, multi-centric questionnaire survey.

the present study was designed to take a student's perception regarding the current dental education curriculum. A structured, pre-validated questionnaire made on Google Forms was shared amongst participants pursuing undergraduate dental program in a DCI recognized dental college via e-mail, Facebook or WhatsApp. The questionnaire consisted of questions about the admission procedure (5questions), curriculum design (12 questions) teaching methods (5 questions) and assessment (5 questions) methods. The respondents were divided into 2 focus groups; Pre-clinical: BDS first & second year students and Clinical: BDS third & fourth year students. The questionnaire was circulated amongst a total of 510 potential candidates, out of which 403 responded (response rate 79%). 48.4% (195/403) were from government dental colleges and 51.6% (206/403) were from private dental colleges. Preclinical group had 89 students (1st year=27, 2nd year=62) and clinical group 344 students (3rd year=138, 4th year=176). Students of both focus groups responded similarly to many questions relating to curriculum (need of syllabus revision, p=0.912; horizontal/vertical integration, p=0.076; and early clinical exposure p=0.843), teaching methods (need of mixed teaching methods) and assessment methods (methods which are not based on quota-chasing p=0.588). Statistically significant difference was seen to "whether the students are able to retain or relate to the basic sciences subjects taught in first & second year" (p<0.0001). Students expressed a need for a horizontal & vertical integration of topics, frequent syllabus revision, Early Clinical Exposure, a mixed teaching method, and better assessment methods.

Overview of dental education system and gender distribution of undergraduate dental students in Taiwan

The gender distribution of dentists in Taiwan has been dominated by male dentists for a long time. This study analyzed preliminarily the appearance of the current dental education system and the gender distribution of undergraduate dental students. This study used documentary analysis and secondary data analysis to survey mainly the current dental education system and the gender distribution of undergraduate dental students in Taiwan. There were a total of 2474 dental students and 394 dental graduates in Taiwan in 2021. The numbers of male students (1435, 58.00%) and male graduates (207, 52.54%) were higher than those of female students (1039, 42.00%) and female graduates (187, 47.46%). The numbers of male dental students in the northern (629), central (428), and southern (378) regions were all higher than those of female dental students (423, 373, and 243, respectively). The chi-square test indicated the significantly higher proportion of male dental students in the northern and southern regions (P<0.01). Besides, there were a total of 15,857 registered dentists. The number of male dentists (10,997, 69.35%) was higher than that of female dentists (4,860, 30.65%). Compared with population, the chi-square test showed the significantly higher proportion of male dental students and male registered dentists (all P-values < 0.001). In Taiwan, the dental education system must promote female students' interest in dentistry and elevate the proportion of female dental supervisors to increase the proportion of female dental students and female dentists in the future.

Drawings to explore faculties‘ and students‘ perceptions from different generations cohorts about dental education: A pilot study

Introduction/AimsWe aimed at using drawings as a form of data collection to give voice to older and younger generations in regards to educational practices in undergraduate dentistry.Materials and methodsFirst year dental students (younger generations) and faculty members (older generations) produced drawings depicting their perceptions of the current dental education learning environment. Qualitative analysis was conducted independently by two researchers using the drawings to produce codes, categories and themes.Results15 drawings were produced: 9/34 (26.4%) made by students and 6/20 (30%) made by faculty members. The generated themes indicated that students and faculties found that dental education is going through a challenging time, because of the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; and that they were aware about the evident division between basic/preclinical and applied/clinical courses. Faculties showed hopeful signs that the situation may get better. Students‘ drawings evoked the following topics: digital connectedness, diversity, time goes by, and future aspirations in Dentistry.DiscussionThis study reinforced the validity of visual methods as an approach in research and showed different graphical features (features that might be intentionally or unintentionally represented in the drawings) that gave voice to participants. These voices could have been invisible in more traditional qualitative approaches, such as interviews or questionnaires.ConclusionsAlthough the two groups of participants came from different generation cohorts, they had aligned perceptions regarding challenges in dental education, and mentioned the separation between preclinic and clinic. Drawings were unique, innovative, and an interesting tool to express perceptions regarding today’s learning environment. These insights can consequently help educators to personalize teaching approaches to better meet the needs of the students.

DENTAL EDUCATION PAKISTAN (DEP) VISION 2025: A WAY FORWARD, TOWARDS PROGRESSION &amp; GLOBALIZATION

Abrahim Flexner, considered “Father of Modernday Medical Education” about a century ago revolutionized entire Health Education &amp; Service Structure bypublishing his shivering report based on standards, resulted in closure of compromised academic institutes and transformed the entire USA/Canadian Health Sector, including Dentistry. His report strongly demanded, appropriate knowledge and skills application to avoid compromised patient care, as the most important aspect required for ailing humanity and this also includes oral/ dental health care. We feel that the current Dental Education Pakistan (DEP) also needs similarreports to attain excellence &amp; “globalization” to be at par with international standards.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of dentists toward providing care to the geriatric patients

BackgroundTooth loss, systemic diseases and medications add to the complexity of the oral conditions in geriatric popuation, making this age group a special group in need of specific preventive and curative oral health care. Therefore, the dental teams need to be equipped with specific knowledge and skills to provide the appropriate dental care. This study was iaimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and willingness of general dentists to provide dental care to geriatric patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 231 dentists using a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice sections. The availability of the facilities for providing services to the older people in the office was also evaluated. Data were fed into SPSS-22 and analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Chi-squared, ANOVA and correlation coefficient tests (α = 0.05).Results62.8% of the participants were women and their mean age was 34. 4±8. 1 years. The knowledge mean score was 13.3± 2.9 (out of 30). 86. 5% of the participants had moderate knowledge, and 2.6% displayed good knowledge. The mean score related to the attitudes toward geriatric was 55.8 ± 6. 1 (out of 85), which was not significantly different based on gender. The mean score of practice was 21. 4± 4.3. There was a significantly positive correlation between knowledge and attitude. Dentists with a higher knowledge score had moderately a more positive attitude towards the older people (R = 0.33, p_ value < 0.001). However, over 60% preferred to provide care to the young patients. Significant correlation was observed between their practice and attitude (R = 0. 2, P-value = 0.006). Nearly 30% of the dentists found their knowledge and experience insufficient in treating the older people with complex medical problems. 40% believed that the current dental education in dental schools did not provide adequate training in geriatric dental care.ConclusionAlthough the dentists in this study had average knowledge and capacity, they mostly displayed a positive attitude towards the old. A high percentage of them were unsatisfied with the sufficiency of geriatric dental education in dental schools.

Initiating narrative medicine into dental education: Opportunity, change, and challenge

Recently, the patient-centered and comprehensive dental treatment are emphasized as the same important competency as traditional clinical skill training in dental education. It is a silver lining to reorganize current dental education and redefine the role of dentistry to dentist, patient, and society. Narrative medicine has emerged as a variant from medical humanities and takes inspiration from philosophy, literature, poetry, art, ethics, and social sciences. Narrative medicine adds humanistic care with empathy and listening to patients in daily care. In this article, we introduce the definition of narrative medicine, the concept of narrative dentistry, implementation of narrative medicine into dental education, and challenges in initiating narrative dentistry. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it also affords the opportunity to initiate narrative medicine into dental education, dentist could emerge to heal patient holistically, but not simply eliminate oral diseases.

Training and Application of Student Standardized Patients for Dental Education

<i>Background</i> Stomatology is a discipline closely combined with theory and practice, and pays attention to students’ operation abilities and clinical skills. Current dental education is encountering the situation of more theory than practice. The evaluation and application of standardized patients (SP) are gradually increasing in medical education. <i>Objective</i> This paper intends to describe the advantages of student standardized patients (SSP), how to construct and apply SSP for dental education. <i>Method</i> Recruit SP of stomatology students, and select appropriate cases based on the actual cases and common dental diseases. SSP training is conducted by experienced clinical teachers. SSP is trained to describe the disease in patient's language and give a reasonable response to enquiry and examination. <i>Result</i> Qualified SSP can be applied in inquiry, physical examination, teaching and evaluation of common dental diseases. SSP not only provide students with repeated practice, but also enable students to understand theoretical knowledge and cultivate clinical thinking more effectively in real clinical reception. This model of SSP application could stimulate learning enthusiasm of on-campus dental student, improve student clinical skills and thinking abilities, as well as reduce education expenses. <i>Conclusion</i> Using SSP is beneficial to help students construct clinical thinking, learn communication skills and build a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.

Virtual Simulators: A Tool for Current Dental Education. Integrative Review

Background: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of virtual reality in education has increased. However, it is necessary to better understand its possibilities, precision, and user perception for the development of dental teaching. Purpose: To analyze current literature about virtual reality simulation and its implementation in dental education. Methods: Articles listed in different databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Javeriana University library catalog, and SciELO) describing studies on the use of virtual simulators in dentistry teaching were identified and reviewed. Articles published between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Results: From a total of 1030 titles identified, 13 articles were selected to conduct the integrative review. Most of the articles were evaluations of specific cohorts who received training, mainly related to preclinical activities. Some studies were controlled clinical trials and other qualitative evaluations. Only one study had a two-year longitudinal design. In all cases, the results and perception of virtual reality simulation were positive. Conclusions: The virtual reality simulation methodology shows promising results for dental teaching.

Oral health inequalities: a call for action to improve oral health in India

To gain insight and learning on the perceived issues and challenges facing dentists within India and to provide guidance on how the wider Indian Diaspora may be able to help solve them. A pilot-tested online survey, containing both quantitative and qualitative questions, was administered amongst dentists practising in India. A total of 1,194 dentists completed the 'Indian Oral Health Survey'. The results highlighted that a significant number of individuals perceived the current state of oral health in India as 'somewhat bad' (44%) while also emphasising the pressing need for government initiatives to improve these standards (78%). Some of the key challenges that need to be addressed in the next 5 years are gum disease (19%), dental caries (18%), oral health awareness (17%) and the increasing rates of oral cancer (16%). This survey also revealed that there is a need to review and change the current state of dental education in India. Furthermore, dentists practising in India would like their Indian counterparts living overseas to give back to their country of origin via mentoring programmes (23%), support initiatives in India both through monetary support (17%) and working for charity, as well as by sharing their skills, expertise and experiences. There is currently a desperate need to improve oral health in India, especially among the underprivileged populations. The survey also revealed that the current dental education system is in need of revision and young dentists in India would like to be mentored by their counterparts overseas.

Dental Education Economics: Challenges and Innovative Strategies

This article reviews current dental education economic challenges such as increasing student tuition and debt, decreasing funds for faculty salaries and the associated faculty shortage, and the high cost of clinic operations and their effect on the future of dentistry. Management tactics to address these issues are also reviewed. Despite recent efforts to change the clinical education model, implementation of proposed faculty recruitment and compensation programs, and creation of education- corporate partnerships, the authors argue that the current economics of public dental education is not sustainable. To remain viable, the dental education system must adopt transformational actions to re-engineer the program for long-term stability. The proposed re-engineering includes strategies in the following three areas: 1) educational process redesign, 2) reduction and redistribution of time in dental school, and 3) development of a regional curriculum. The intent of these strategies is to address the financial challenges, while educating adequate numbers of dentists at a reasonable cost to both the student and the institution in addition to maintaining dental education within research universities as a learned profession.

The Dental Degree of the Future, D.M.D.

History does not record why other universities which established dental schools did not follow the example set by Harvard University in 1869 and award the D.M.D. degree. Now all but eight of the fifty dental schools in operation or being established in the United States are granting the D.D.S. degree. If a single degree is to be universally used, it should be the one that most precisely describes the present objectives of dental education and indicates accurately the changing scope and increasing responsibilities of dentistry as a major health profession. The writer has strong convictions that the D.M.D. degree is more representative of the objectives of most current dental education programs, including those now awarding the D.D.S. degree. What is more important, the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine connotes more accurately the present day scope of the dentist's services and his health responsibilities. It is believed to indicate the developing future trends of dentistry as a major health service. It would also seem highly desirable to choose the degree that included the word “medicine,” because this has come to mean prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease without limitation. The D.M.D. degree is thus far less restricted in its connotation and it more accurately describes the expanding role of dentistry as an important health profession. It is firmly believed that by 1975 other dental schools will be granting the D.M.D. degree; in fact, by then this degree may be awarded by the majority of dental schools.

Reflections on current dental education

Journal of Dental EducationVolume 29, Issue 4 p. 328-333 Article Reflections on current dental education G Kozam, G KozamSearch for more papers by this author G Kozam, G KozamSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 1965 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.1965.29.4.tb00001.xAbout ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume29, Issue4December 1965Pages 328-333 RelatedInformation