Integration of medicine and basic science in dentistry: the role of oral and maxillofacial surgery in the pre-doctoral dental curriculum

Examining the effects of early patient care and biomedical science integration on predoctoral dental student competence and confidence

INTRODUCTION

Our study investigates early experiential learning as a method of curricular integration by allowing students to begin their clinical experience in the first year of the programme, as well as distributing biomedical classes throughout the predoctoral dental school curriculum.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study utilises a quasi-experimental design with two different groups, Standard Curriculum Group and Integrated Curriculum Group, n = 87. Data were collected from 2017 to 2021.

RESULTS

We found that, on average, it took 608 h less for the participants in an integrated curriculum group to reach clinical competence in comparison to peers who did not experience the same methods of integration in their programme. These data were collected through daily faculty evaluations of students' progression as well as participants' own self-assessment. Our results indicate that participants in the Integrated Curriculum Group also experienced a positive effect on their confidence in their ability to apply the biomedical sciences to patient care.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that predoctoral dental programmes may be able to bring about positive outcomes for students' clinical confidence and competence by providing patient care opportunities early in the programme and sequencing the biomedical sciences throughout the curriculum. As such, it appears that early experiential learning may be a viable option for curricular integration that can have a positive effect on both students' confidence in their clinical abilities and their progression to clinical competence.

[Basic dental sciences as the foundations for clinical practice]

Las carreras del área de ciencias de la salud combinan la adquisición de conocimientos básicos y habilidades específicas para el desempeño clínico desde etapas tempranas de la formación profesional. En el caso de la odontología, estas habilidades son sumamente complejas, lo cual implica que el estudiante posea un adecuado conocimiento previo de las estructuras de la cavidad oral y su fisiología.

The Development of Dual-Degree Programs in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the 100th Anniversary of Our Specialty

The concept and history of dual-degree residency education and training are reviewed.

Comparison of dental students' performances and perceptions in preclinical and clinical pharmacology in an Irish Dental School

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of pharmacology is essential for dental students and for its safe application in the clinical environment.

AIMS

The goals of our study were to assess dental students' performances in pharmacology with and without shared instruction, to investigate correlations between students' final grades in pre-clinical and clinical pharmacology, to determine if gender affects test performance and to explore characteristics of effective dental student learning.

METHODS

A 9 year mixed method study was undertaken comprising (i) quantitative analysis of undergraduate performances in basic and clinical pharmacology (n = 320) and (ii) quantitative and qualitative exploration of student perceptions on teaching and learning in pharmacology.

RESULTS

Mean basic pharmacology scores were not significantly different when dental students were co-taught with medical and pharmacy students. Regression analysis showed a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.582, P < 0.01) between basic and clinical pharmacology dental student scores. Interestingly, correlation was independent of gender with female student scores demonstrating a correlation of r = 0.480, P < 0.01 and males a correlation of 0.684, P < 0.01. Quantitative and qualitative feedback highlighted four thematic areas of effective dental student learning namely: (i) quality of instructors, (ii) lecture content, (iii) assessment type and (iv) learning environment.

CONCLUSIONS

Teaching basic pharmacology in a multidisciplinary environment did not adversely affect dental students' examination performances. Dental students who perform well in basic pharmacology perform similarly well in clinical pharmacology. However, whether students' understanding and the application of pharmacology affects the quality of patient care in the clinical environment awaits further investigation.

Improving the Medical Curriculum in Predoctoral Dental Education: Recommendations From the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Committee on Predoctoral Education and Training

Dental procedures are often performed on patients who present with some level of medical fragility. In many dental schools, the exercise of taking a medical history is all too often a transcription of information to the dental chart, with little emphasis on the presurgical risk assessment and the development of a treatment plan appropriate to the medical status of the dental patient. Changes in dentistry, driven by an increasingly medically complex population of dental patients, combined with treatment advances rooted in the biomedical sciences necessitate the adaptation of our dental education to include a stronger background in systemic health. Many predoctoral educators in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) have expressed concern about the medical preparedness of our dental students; therefore, the AAOMS and its Committee on Predoctoral Education and Training have provided recommendations for improving the medical curriculum in predoctoral dental education, including a strengthening of training in clinical medicine and biomedical sciences, with specific recommendations for improved training of our dental students and dental faculty.