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Dental Curricula (dental + curriculum)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Kinds of Dental Curricula

undergraduate dental curriculum

Selected Abstracts

Students' clinical experience on outreach placements

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2010
M. Smith
Abstract Primary care outreach placements increasingly feature in UK undergraduate dental curricula. The profile of clinical work undertaken on placement may differ from traditional hospital-based programmes and between outreach settings. An appreciation of any differences could inform curriculum development. Objective:, To compare the profiles of clinical work experienced on a traditional hospital-based programme and outreach placements in different settings. Setting:, One dental hospital and eight existing primary care block placements in England. Subjects and methods:, Subjects were four cohorts of senior dental students in one UK dental school. Departmental records provided data on students' clinical experience in different settings and their achievement of placement learning objectives. Descriptive statistics for groups were compared. Main outcome measures:, (1) Counts of patients encountered and of clinical procedures completed in the following categories: simple plastic restorations, endodontics, cast restorations, dentures, extractions and children's dentistry. (2) Student perceptions of placement learning reported via Likert scales. Results:, Outreach students encountered twice as many patients and typically completed about three times as much clinical work as students in the hospital, e.g. 44 cf 16 simple plastic restorations, seven cf two endodontic procedures. There were variations in profiles by setting. For example, amalgam being more likely to be used on outreach especially in the General Dental Service; more children's dentistry in community services and more extractions in Dental Access Centres. Students reported learning outcomes generally being achieved (average 94%) although with some variation by setting. Conclusion:, Dental outreach training greatly increases the quantity of students' clinical experience in everyday dentistry compared to a hospital-based programme. Placements also increase awareness of service delivery and develop clinical skills. There are appreciable variations between outreach settings possibly reflecting their purposes. Multiple contrasting outreach placements for each student might increase the uniformity of learning experiences. [source]

Using innovative group-work activities to enhance the problem-based learning experience for dental students

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2009
R. Grady
Abstract Problem-based learning (PBL) in medical and dental curricula is now well established, as such courses are seen to equip students with valuable transferable skills (e.g. problem-solving or team-working abilities), in addition to knowledge acquisition. However, it is often assumed that students improve in such skills without actually providing direct opportunity for practice, and without giving students feedback on their performance. ,The Manchester Dental Programme' (TMDP) was developed at The University of Manchester, UK as a 5-year, integrated enquiry-led curriculum. The existing PBL course was redesigned to include a unique, additional PBL session (,Session 4') that incorporated an activity for the group to complete, based on the subject material covered during student self-study. A summative mark was awarded for each activity that reflected the teamwork, organisational and overall capabilities of the groups. This paper describes the different types of activities developed for the Session 4 and presents an analysis of the perceptions of the students and staff involved. The student response to the Session 4 activities, obtained via questionnaires, was extremely positive, with the majority finding them fun, yet challenging, and ,worthwhile'. The activities were perceived to enhance subject understanding; develop students' problem-solving skills; allow the application of knowledge to new situations, and helped to identify gaps in knowledge to direct further study. Staff found the activities innovative and exciting learning tools for the students. The Session 4 activities described here are useful educational resources that could be adapted for other PBL courses in a wide variety of subject areas. [source]

Paediatric dentistry in outreach settings: an essential part of undergraduate curricula?

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2009
M. L. Hunter
Abstract Introduction:, Although placements in primary care settings remote from dental schools are becoming a common feature of undergraduate dental curricula, little evidence is available regarding the experience of paediatric dentistry gained in this way. Materials and methods:, Treatment logs relating to salaried primary care placements undertaken by the Class of 2007 at Cardiff University School of Dentistry were examined, particular attention being paid to paediatric-specific procedures. Results:, Forty-nine logs relating to placements undertaken in South East Wales and 51 relating to those in North Wales were retrieved. In South East Wales, 90% of students gained experience of primary tooth restoration, 61% carrying out primary endodontics. Sixty-three percent of students undertaking placements in South East Wales and 69% of those placed in North Wales gained experience of primary tooth extraction under local anaesthesia. All but three students gained experience of administering inhalation sedation. Discussion:, The findings of this study should go some way towards reassuring those who have expressed concern that recruitment difficulties within dental schools inevitably lead to increasing numbers of students qualifying without clinical experience of paediatric dental procedures considered to be within the remit of a newly qualified dental practitioner. However, there remains wide variation in the breadth and depth of experience of individual students and it is still possible for some students to graduate without what might be considered core experience in paediatric dentistry. Conclusion:, Salaried primary care settings are ideally placed to provide students with experience of paediatric-specific procedures. Clinical education in paediatric dentistry should, therefore, incorporate the strengths of dental school and placement education. [source]

Managing the curriculum , for a change

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007
M. Manogue
Abstract:, This article reports the model used to design a new dental curriculum, the design process used and its underlying rationale. The evidence base for the process is reviewed and discussed. Some suggestions are offered for those engaged in developing new curricula. The main conclusions drawn are that the design process needs to be managed openly and democratically; the alignment model is the most appropriate for designing dental curricula; the process of curriculum design is inextricably linked to organisational development; and the concepts of learning organisations, communities of practice and culture all have their part to play in the process of introducing deep innovations, such as new curricula'. [source]

Development of a Gerodontology course in Athens: a pilot study

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2006
A. E. Kossioni
Aim:, To describe the development of an undergraduate Gerodontology course in Athens Dental School. Background:, Because of demographic changes, undergraduate dental curricula should place appropriate emphasis on the oral care of the elderly. Therefore, the Athens Dental School Curriculum Committee authorised the development of a new Gerodontology course. Methods:, The new course was introduced in the 10th (final) semester of undergraduate studies. Teaching responsibilities were shared amongst staff from various Dental School departments and the National Health System. The course was elective and mainly didactic, consisting of seminars within the Dental School, educational visits to hospitals and geriatric day centres and elective clinical work in the comprehensive care clinic. The students evaluated the course at the end of the semester and indicated its strengths and weaknesses from their perspective. Conclusion:, The new course was generally satisfying. Based on the experience and evaluation of the first pilot year and taking into consideration the existing barriers, we plan to improve and expand educational activities, mainly including improved methods of teaching and assessment, and more clinical assignments. [source]

Context rich problems in oral biology teaching

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2002
Jules Kieser
Problem-based learning (PBL) has now been introduced in at least one of its various taxonomic forms in most dental curricula. We recently developed a novel form of PBL, referred to as Context Rich Problems, which we implemented in the Oral Biology course at the Otago University Dental School. A unique event, the teaching of second and third year students in the same year, allowed us to evaluate CRPs in these two academic years simultaneously. Our findings showed that second year students were not as positive as more mature third year students in accepting the transition from a traditional didactic form of teaching to PBL. Both groups, however, found that CRPs significantly enhanced their learning experience and both groups found that they needed less time spent on preparation than they had expected. In some respects, such as previous exposure to the web and electronic media, non-New Zealanders had had a significantly higher exposure. [source]

A global perspective on changes in the burden of caries and periodontitis: implications for dentistry,

JOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 12 2007
V. BAELUM
Summary, The structure and contents of most oral health care systems and the contents of dental curricula reflect a deep-rooted tradition for attempting to cure oral diseases by refined technological means. However, better oral health conditions for the world's populations necessitate the application of up-to-date scientific knowledge to control the major oral diseases. This review points out that not only should the structure and contents of oral health care delivery systems be based on state-of-the-art knowledge about the biology of the oral diseases; they must also take into account the trends for change in caries and periodontal diseases within and between populations, and acknowledge the impact of changes in treatment philosophies for these trends. The oral disease profiles for populations in low- and high-income countries are briefly described, and it is concluded that the rapidly changing disease profiles observed in high-income countries necessitate re-thinking of the future role and organization of dentistry in such countries. The priorities for low- and middle-income countries must be to avoid repeating the mistakes made in the high-income countries. Instead, these societies might take advantage of setting priorities based on a population-based common risk factor approach. If such an approach is adopted, the training of personnel with oral health care competence must be rethought. The authors suggest three different cadres of dental care providers to be considered for an approach that allows health care planners in different populations around the world to prioritize appropriate oral health care with due respect for the socio-economic conditions prevailing. [source]

Implant dentistry in Australian undergraduate dental curricula: knowledge and competencies for the graduating dentist,

AUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010
N Mattheos
Aims The aim of this paper is to define the key competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values) in the field of implant dentistry, necessary for graduating general practitioners in Australia. The authors have produced a headline reference guide to outline the necessary educational outcomes which can be targeted by the undergraduate curricula in dental schools of Australian universities. This paper focuses on competencies and aims to clarify curricula ,endpoints' rather than processes. The process towards achieving these outcomes and the instructional methods and strategies might vary among universities. The authors acknowledge that there are different ways to reach the targeted learning outcomes and that there is a diversity of curricular approaches, structures and methodologies among Australian dental schools, which are enriching and desirable educationally. Specific educational strategies also with regards to the teaching of implant dentistry have been addressed in previous work and will not be covered in this paper. This paper will not address extracurricular courses, special degrees or training after graduation. [source]

The European computer driving licence and the use of computers by dental students

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2009
G. S. Antonarakis
Abstract The use of computers within the dental curriculum for students is vital for many aspects of their studies. The aim of this study was to assess how dental students who had obtained the European computer driving licence (ECDL) qualification (an internationally-recognised standard of competence) through taught courses, felt about the qualification, and how it changed their habits vis-à-vis computers, and information and communication technology. This study was carried out as a descriptive, one-off, cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire was distributed to 100 students who had successfully completed the course, with questions pertaining to the use of email, word processing and Internet for course-works, Medline for research, computer based learning, online lecture notes, and online communication with members of staff, both before and after ECDL qualification. Scaled responses were given. The attitudes of students towards the course were also assessed. The frequencies and percentage distributions of the responses to each question were analysed. It was found that dental students who follow ECDL teaching and successfully complete its requirements, seem to increase the frequency with which they use email, word processing and Internet for course works, Medline for research purposes, computer based learning, online lecture notes, and online communication with staff. Opinions about the ECDL course varied, many dental students finding the course easy, enjoying it only a little, but admitting that it improved their computer skills. [source]

Managing the curriculum , for a change

Development and implementation of new educational concepts in a dental curriculum

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2007
H. W. Kersten
Abstract, The Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam introduced a fully renewed 5-year dental curriculum in September 2003. In this article, the educational principles and didactic choices that form the basis of the curriculum development are presented and attention is given to the process of development and the implementation strategy that constitute such an important part of the success of introducing a new curriculum. Special characteristics of the new curriculum are the clinical training practice, professional conduct, the elective profiles and academic education. In clinical practice, groups of students from different levels run a group practice in which they learn to work together, delegate tasks, solve clinical problems and apply evidence-based dentistry. In the new curriculum students learn to conduct themselves as professionals. In the third and in the fifth year, students choose an elective profile oriented, respectively, on research and on clinical knowledge and skills. Academic education is an important spearhead in this curriculum in which students not only learn why research is important to dentistry but also how dentists can use research to their own benefit. In development and implementation, a stepwise approach was used in which as many people as logistically possible were involved. [source]

Student satisfaction with curriculum modifications in a French dental school

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2000
P. Farge
Since 1994, important modifications have been implemented in the dental curriculum in France, and an additional year has been included in the dental curriculum. The 1st year has remained unchanged; it is common to both medical and dental schools and leads to a selection procedure of 1 in 10 dental students. In the new curriculum, the dental student is engaged in a 5-year programme in dental school (years 2 to 6), as opposed to 4 years in the former programme (years 2 to 5). Basically, this new curriculum emphasises research initiation, links with medical training and offers broader clinical experience. During the academic year 1998,1999, dental schools had 2 different types of students: the 4th year students belonging to the new programme along with the 5th year students in their final year of the old curriculum. Using a specially devised questionnaire, we investigated the students' perception of their respective training, their motivation and professional plans. At the Faculty of Odontology in Lyon, the new curriculum is perceived as an increased strain by the dental students. [source]

Should edentulous patients be constrained to removable complete dentures?

GERODONTOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
The use of dental implants to improve the quality of life for edentulous patients
doi:10.1111/j.1741-2358.2009.00294.x Should edentulous patients be constrained to removable complete dentures? The use of dental implants to improve the quality of life for edentulous patients Background:, Nowadays, there is some speculation among dental educators that the need for complete dentures will significantly decrease in the future and that training in their provision should be removed from the dental curriculum. Objective:, To sensitise the reader to the functional shortcomings of complete denture therapy in the edentulous patient and present restorative options including implants to improve edentulous quality of life in these patients. Methods:, Information retrieval followed a systematic approach using PubMed. English articles published from 1964 to 2008, in which the masticatory performance of patients with implant-supported dentures was assessed by objective methods and compared with performance with conventional dentures, were included. Results:, National epidemiological survey data suggested that the adult population in need of one or two complete dentures will increase from 35.4 million adults in 2000 to 37.9 million adults in 2020. Clinical studies have showed that the ratings of general satisfaction were significantly better in the patients treated with implant overdentures post-delivery compared with the complete denture users. In addition, the implant group gave significantly higher ratings on comfort, stability and ability to chew. Furthermore, patients who received mandibular implant overdentures had significantly fewer oral health-related quality of life problems than did the conventional group. Conclusion:, Implant-supported dentures including either complete overdentures or a hybrid prosthesis significantly improve the quality of life for edentulous patients compared with conventional removable complete dentures. Therefore, the contemporary dental practitioner should consider other options as well as conventional removable complete dentures to restore edentulous patients. [source]

Undergraduate teaching in gerodontology in Austria, Switzerland and Germany

GERODONTOLOGY, Issue 3 2004
Ina Nitschke
Objective:, To survey the present state of undergraduate teaching in the domain of gerodontology in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Study participants:, All universities of Austria (A), Germany (D) and Switzerland (CH). Protocol:, A questionnaire on undergraduate teaching in gerodontology was mailed to all Deans (A: n = 3; CH: n = 4; D: n = 31) and all independent departments except paediatric dentistry and orthodontics (A: n = 11; CH: n = 15; D: n = 111). Results:, The questionnaires were completed and returned by 29 Deans (A: n = 2; CH: n = 4; D: n = 23) and 102 departments (A: n = 7; CH: n = 8; D: n = 87). In Austria, gerodontology is a very small component of the dental curriculum and the Deans did not want this to be increased. Most German universities claimed to teach some aspects of gerodontology to undergraduate students and 87.4% of the Deans voted for separate lectures in gerodontology. In Switzerland, gerodontology seems well established. The results of questionnaires from the independent departments revealed that in all three countries lectures were more prevalent (A: n = 0; CH: n = 4; D: n = 6) than practical training in nursing homes (A: n = 0; CH: n = 3; D: n = 6). Conclusion:, Considering the demographical shift which is leading to an increasing proportion of elderly in the population, the weighting of gerodontology in the undergraduate dental curriculum should be considered for revision in Austria and Germany. [source]