Learning in a clinical environment is central to a health professionals' educational journey including Dentistry. Implementation of curriculum within the clinical learning environment (CLE) prepares dental undergraduates for professional practice. Evaluation is an important part of curriculum design which provides the evidence to support…

A comprehensive CAD/CAM dentistry curriculum that includes broad aspects of single tooth restoration has been implemented at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry (COD) since 2010. The purpose of the program is to promote an educational environment that utilizes current technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of single-tooth…

Introduction: Competency-based education (CBE) is thought to improve the quality of dental graduates than traditional education (TE). This study compared the students' final scores in clinical training of prosthodontics using CBE versus TE. Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 459 fourth- and fifth-year undergraduate students. Of the…

The implementation of curriculum change, and innovative pedagogical theory, can help educators and administrators in higher education further the learning gains of students in the sciences. But the introduction of new methods of teaching, or curricular restructuring, can be interpreted by students differently, potentially affecting students'…

"Starting Research in Clinical Education" is written by a global team of experienced and emerging clinical education researchers who have a wealth of knowledge designing rigorous research projects and expertise in contemporary methods. Covering a broad spectrum of methods used by clinical education researchers, the book is split into…

Skills and development: The way undergraduate dental students have been taught and their methods of learning have evolved over decades. Education methods and needs: Perhaps the most rapid and exponential changes have been in the last two decades with the introduction and utilisation of digital media platforms and social media capabilities.…

To improve student preparedness for anatomy laboratory dissection, the dental gross anatomy laboratory was transformed using flipped classroom pedagogy. Instead of spending class time explaining the procedures and anatomical structures for each laboratory, students were provided online materials to prepare for laboratory on their own. Eliminating…

Traditionally, dental education is divided into two phases: pre-clinical and clinical education. The pre-clinical phase of dental education includes the assimilation of theoretical topical knowledge in addition to the completion of simulated exercises. Upon completion of and demonstration of competency in their pre-clinical courses, students begin…

The primary aim of this study was to determine perceptions of three cohorts of third year undergraduate students (n = 65) on in-class reflective group discussion as a critical reflective approach for evolving professionals. Reflective group discussions were embedded into a final year course within the University of Queensland Bachelor of Oral…

Repeated studies of graduating dental students indicate limited preparation to provide services for individuals with special healthcare needs. By the end of the 1990s and into the present decade, more than half of the U.S. dental schools provided less than five hours of class room presentations and about three quarters of the schools provided 0-5…

This study evaluated the reliability, validity, and educational usefulness of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in dental education. The OSCE was administered to dental students at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) before they entered clinical training. Participants in this…

Few predoctoral dental students received clinical experience with handicapped patients, and in recent years, dental educators have indicated that a shortage of patients exists. A study examined the extent to which dental schools have incorporated handicapped and medically compromised patients into their predoctoral comprehensive care program. (MLW)

This "theme" issue offers 17 articles all on the subject of dentistry education programs sponsored by the Macy project, a 24-month effort to assess the feasibility of "community-based clinical dental education." Following an introduction, articles are grouped into those concerning problems (financing dental education, public financing of dental…

A continuing education program implemented at the University of Illinois in Chicago is described. The goals of the program were: to provide a comprehensive, long-term approach to continuing education; to emphasize the role of participants in curriculum development; and to use learning strategies that maximize clinical participation. (MLW)

A laboratory experiment that demonstrates the effects of various dental materials on a representative enzyme from the pulp is outlined. The experiment encourages students to consider the effects that various restorative materials and techniques might have on enzymes in the living pulp. (Author/MLW)