Developing a Dental Curriculum for the 21st Century in a New Dental School in Saudi Arabia

Subject matter changes in the dental curriculum: A scoping review of the last two decades

PURPOSE

In recent years, dental education has witnessed significant advancements and curriculum shifts in response to evolving healthcare needs, technological advances, and changing societal demands. As a result, dental universities worldwide have undergone substantial curriculum changes to ensure the adequate education and training of future dental professionals. The purpose of this study was to delineate the curriculum innovations over the past 20 years, with a focus on content within the current dental curriculum at universities worldwide.

METHOD

The articles reviewed for this manuscript were published from 2000 to June 2023. Search queries were conducted in four databases: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and ERIC, yielding 367 unique studies. Of these, 31 were included in the final synthesis.

RESULTS

The nine principal subject matter themes identified in the thematic analysis of these articles were critical scientific thinking, computational thinking, global mindset, geriatric dental care, interprofessional teamwork, transition to practice, local community, integration, and lifelong learning. The themes were modeled and mapped in a three-axis figure, elucidating the interconnections between the themes.

CONCLUSION

The identified themes signify the trajectory that dental education has taken and provide insights into the future course of the dental profession.

The Development and Utilization of an Electronic Assessment Software in Dental Education: A Comprehensive Evaluation

Purpose/Objectives

This article introduces the Key Electronic Assessment Platform (KEAP), an electronic-based assessment platform created in-house at the College of Dentistry (COD), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It highlights the platform's integral value and demand within the educational system.

Methods

The article introduces the KEAP system design and architecture, describes its features, tests, and implementation in addition to its maintenance and security. It also presents the outcomes of KEAP utilization and the level of users' satisfaction.

Results

The KEAP item bank has been expanded by more than 26,500 questions over the last four academic years and 1,255 exams have been administered. KEAP provides a highly secure structured framework for assessment planning, conduction, and evaluation. More than 90% of students and faculty are satisfied or very satisfied with their experience using the KEAP system indicating that it is well accepted by the end users.

Conclusions

The development of KEAP is based on contextual factors in COD, KSAU-HS with the aim of creating a process for assessment that is valid, efficient, standardized, and highly secure. KEAP's design and successful implementation can provide a successful example of implementing electronic-based assessment in higher education.

Self-perceived preparedness of new dental graduates from a Middle Eastern university

INTRODUCTION

Preparedness for independent clinical practice is a core goal of undergraduate dental education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-reported preparedness for the dental practice among new dental graduates from a University in the Middle East.

METHODS

Following ethics approval, a purposive sampling techniques were used to invite newly qualified dental graduates at a Middle Eastern University. A validated research instrument, namely the Dental Undergraduate Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS), was used to evaluate the self-perceived preparedness of the participants. Data collection was undertaken online using Google Forms and data were analysed to compute the descriptive statistics, reliability and demographic differences among the participants.

RESULTS

A total of 82 participants provided their response yielding a response rate of 68%. The participants included 49 males and 33 females. The overall reliability of DU-PAS was excellent. (α = 0.93). The participants included less than 40% of participants were able independently to prescribe medications, assess orthodontics needs and perform endodontic treatment on multirooted teeth. In addition, more than 65% indicated low confidence in evaluating new dental materials and products, interpreting new research findings and behavioural management of children.

CONCLUSION

The present findings identified strengths and weaknesses of new dental graduates from a Middle Eastern university. The participants were confident in basic clinical skills but lower confidence was reported for complex dental procedures. The findings highlight the learning needs of new dental graduates and can serve to inform the undergraduate curriculum to enhance the preparedness of future cohorts of dental graduates.

Evaluation of the level of integration of the dental curriculum in Umm Al-Qura University

Objectives

To identify the models and levels of integration of the undergraduate dental curriculum in Umm Al-Qura University in KSA. This comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the current dental curriculum will facilitate better planning for curriculum reform, thus improving the quality of dental education.

Methods

All courses were evaluated by three reviewers who independently checked the most recent course specifications forms (2021) to extract data relating to course descriptions and contents. A model of integration was identified for each course (using a modified Harden's integration ladder). Courses and their relative weighting (by credit hours) were mapped to the level of integration by years, departments, course classification, and educational methods. The overall pattern of curriculum integration was then determined.

Results

All courses exhibited some level of integration to varying degrees throughout years and across departments. The most frequently used model is the nested model of integration. The overall pattern of curriculum integration is low to moderate. Highly integrated courses are only taught during the second and final years and are managed by the Departments of Basic Oral Sciences and Restorative Dentistry. Clinical courses represent 44.3% of the curriculum although only 26.6% of clinical courses have a high level of integration. Problem-based learning/case-based learning (PBL/CBL) and clinical training strategies are mostly applied in moderately to highly integrated courses, although PBL/CBL is the least used educational method throughout the curriculum.

Conclusion

All courses exhibited some level of integration with an overall low to moderate pattern. More collaborative planning and working between departments are recommended to increase the level of integration of courses throughout different academic years. In addition, modern educational strategies such as PBL/CBL and blended learning should be implemented more in our dental curriculum.

Predictors of clinical performance in comprehensive care cases in undergraduate dentists

INTRODUCTION

Achieving a high grade in the final-year comprehensive clinical care (CCC) course is not only important for the individual candidate but also to ensure competency of students as they transition from dental school into independent practice. Here, we aimed to identify predictors of success in the CCC that might prove useful to identify which, if any, students need focused intervention to improve their performance in the CCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of two consecutive cohorts (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) of final-year (Year six) dental students (n = 180 females and n = 150 males) attending [King Abdulaziz University], Saudi Arabia. Age, gender, cumulative GPA to the start of Year six and assessment results were tabulated and analysed as independent variables in binary logistic regression to identify predictors of the final case grade (≤69% or >70%).

RESULTS

Year five GPA (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.12; p = .004) and female gender (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.12-4.36; p = .02) were significantly associated with an increased odds of achieving a final case grade >70%. In particular, female students were over twice as likely as male students to achieve a higher score in their final case assessment.

DISCUSSION

This study suggests that gender may influence final performance in the CCC. The better performance of females in the final CCC course than their male counterparts suggests that there may be a narrowing or even reversal of the historical gender gap in dental school performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Both cognitive (GPA) and other (i.e. gender) factors influence clinical dental performance. Further work is required to establish what instructional modifications are required to accommodate these gender differences in CCC courses to pave the way for personalised teaching approaches to optimise educational outcomes.

Strategies to implement competencies as it relates to a competency framework in a dental undergraduate curriculum: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, dental schools are underpinned by approved competency frameworks or competency statements developed for specific contexts or countries. Literature are replete with competencies required and assessed within this frameworks however limited literature that guides the incorporation of competencies and implementation of the competencies related to the competency framework in dental curricula.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review design was used. The research question addressed for this systematic review was: What are the strategies used to develop core competencies undergraduate dental curricula? Databases included in the searches were: MEDLINE(ebscoHost), Science Direct, MEDLINE(Pubmed), Wiley Online Library, ERIC. A meta-synthesis analysis consisting of a descriptive meta-synthesis to critically analyse and discuss emerging themes from the findings of the six included studies were completed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Strategies used to develop core competencies were divided into four components namely organizational structure, faculty development, teaching strategies and assessment strategies. To consider a holistic approach to develop core competencies, changes in the organizational structure needs to be in place first. With the appropriate organizational structure in place, faculty development to implement competency strategies would be more supported and feasible. From the findings of the included articles, faculty development regarding teaching strategies and assessment methods were considered necessary to implement core competencies in a dental curriculum.

CONCLUSION

A strong relationship between the suggested implementation strategies from this systematic review findings and the multifaceted approach for the CanMEDS exist. Teaching and assessments, faculty development strategies are common strategies. Surprisingly, organisational structure changes were not included as implementation strategy of CanMEDS.

Quality of endodontic record-keeping and root canal obturation performed by final year undergraduate dental students: An audit during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

To assess the quality of endodontic record-keeping and root canal obturation performed by undergraduate final year dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dental records and dental radiographs of patients who received endodontic treatments between March 2020 and March 2022 by undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The audit data were collected based on the European Society of Endodontology guidelines retrospectively via assessing the patient's clinical records and intraoral periapical radiograph. Root canal obturation quality was evaluated based on the following parameters: adaptation, length, taper, and mishap. A root filling is defined as satisfactory only when all four parameters were graded as acceptable. Subsequently, the data were recorded and analysed using Chi-Square test with the level of significance set at p = 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 111 patient records with 111 root canal-treated teeth were evaluated. The highest percentage of documented evidence was noted in the patient's general records, while the endodontic treatment records showed the lowest percentage of documented evidence. 78 (70.3%) of root canal-treated teeth were deemed satisfactory with acceptable adaptation, length, taper, and absence of mishap. Moreover, no statistical significance in terms of root canal filling quality was noted between anterior and posterior teeth, and between maxillary and mandibular arch.

CONCLUSIONS

Although patient records and root canal fillings quality were deemed satisfactory in most cases, strict documentation requirements and continuing dental education in audit training are necessary for quality assurance.

Dental Curriculum's Continuing Improvement in the North American and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Education Systems

Background:

Dynamic oral health care needs, alongside a diverse demographic of patients, presents a challenge to dental clinicians as they strive to resolve the ever-increasing demand for quality oral care service. Claims have arisen that the most appropriate way of speeding up the slow change in adopting innovations within the dental practice is by updating dentists' knowledge and skills through improving the undergraduate students' curriculum.

Objective:

This review compares the dental curriculum's continuing improvement processes between the North American and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Methods:

The process of analysis consisted of identifying, examining, and interpreting patterns and themes within textual data, and then determining how each of these help answer the research questions.

Results:

Efforts to implement the dental curriculum's continuous improvement processes in the North American and GCC countries are evident, but the significant barriers for the dental curriculum's continuing improvement among the North American countries include the consequences of a compressed four-year curriculum, reliance on professional regulations, insufficient focus on patient perceptions, and the lack of a more theoretically robust approach to self-reflection. Conversely, amongst the GCC countries, the available literature states that the most significant factors hindering the dental curriculum's continuing improvement include deficient leadership attributes and low research productivity.

Conclusion:

The North American and GCC regions will benefit from the new dental curriculum and result in producing more competent dental practitioners, with improved leadership and patient-centered care. However, it has been observed that the dental curriculum’s continuous improvement processes are adopted slowly, particularly among the GCC countries.

Orthodontic curriculum in Saudi Arabia: Faculty members' perception of clinical learning outcomes

OBJECTIVES:

This study aimed to assess the perception of orthodontic staff members around clinical learning outcomes (LOs) of the undergraduate orthodontic curriculum with a focus on dental schools in Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Twenty-three LOs were formulated, all of which were associated with skills required in the undergraduate orthodontics course. Orthodontic staff members were invited to provide their opinion regarding the curriculum using a Likert scale, whereby participants could answer each question on a scale from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree.”

RESULTS:

Sixty-one teaching staff members agreed to partake in this study. The highest level of agreement among the participants pertained to conducting systematic orthodontic intraoral and extraoral examinations (100%), followed by explaining causes for space loss (98.3%). The lowest level of agreement was regarding executing a treatment plan for non-skeletal cases (62.2%) followed by skills of fabrication and activation of removable appliances (77%). Around 67.1% of the academics refused to allow dental students to select and bond orthodontic brackets.

CONCLUSION:

It is time to amalgamate the objectives and create a unified national list of LOs for all orthodontic curriculums across the country without any distinction of knowledge or skills required at the undergraduate level.

Influence of dental college funding and time established on the satisfaction of dental graduates with their undergraduate experience in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE

With the emergence of graduates from all government and private-funded dental colleges in Saudi Arabia (SA), it is pressing to explore the graduates' satisfaction with the dental undergraduate education and training they received. The aim of the present study was to investigate the graduates' satisfaction with their education and training according to college funding arrangements (government vs private-funded) and time since establishment (established- >15 years vs new-<15 years).

METHODS

A piloted, electronic questionnaire was emailed to all the members of the Saudi Dental Society who had graduated from government and and private dental colleges in SA (2,185 registrants).

RESULTS

The response rate was 36.4%, with 580 government-funded college graduates (72.9%) and 216 private college graduates (27.1%) having completed and returned the questionnaire. The distribution of participants between established and new colleges was 'established' 396 (49.8%) and 'new' 400 (50.2%). Levels of dissatisfaction were recorded for graduates from established and new, government-funded and private colleges. The levels of dissatisfaction were greater amongst the graduates of established and government-funded colleges.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study indicate concerning levels of dissatisfaction with important aspects of dental education in SA. It is suggested that there is a pressing need for more integration of basic and clinical sciences and an emphasis on hands-on training. National coordination of arrangements for dental curricula could make a major contribution to addressing the problems identified.

Clinical Photography Knowledge and Skills among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey

Background and Aim:

Clinical photographs have become an important entity in contemporary dental education in Saudi Arabia. The study assessed the knowledge and skills related to clinical photography among final-year undergraduate dental students in different dental schools in the Western province of Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods:

A face-to-face interview was conducted using a pretested and validated questionnaire after obtaining relevant consent from the college administration and the students. Trained and calibrated data collectors interviewed the dental students between November 2019 and February 2020.

Results:

The knowledge related to clinical photography was “good” only in 17.2% of the participants, and most of the students demonstrated “poor” knowledge (58.9%). Digital single lens-reflex (DSLR) camera was used by only 43.9% of the students for taking clinical photographs. The practice of taking informed consent from patients for taking and using clinical photographs was reported in 77.6% of the dental students.

Conclusion:

The knowledge related to dental clinical photography was not satisfactory, and students need to improve the understanding of the proper functioning of digital cameras and also the medicolegal issues related to clinical photography.

Paediatric dentistry undergraduate education across dental schools in the Arabian region: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

To assess and compare teaching of paediatric dentistry in the undergraduate curriculum among dental schools in the Arabian region.

METHODS

A 28-item online cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted of undergraduate dental programme directors in the Arab region. The survey included questions related to the programme's content, method of instruction on specific paediatric dentistry topics as well as the director's opinion on the level of training obtained by the undergraduate students at the end of the programme.

RESULTS

The final sample included 31 dental schools representing undergraduate programmes in ten Arabian countries (60.8% response rate). All programmes provided theoretical and practical education on communicative behaviour management techniques and caries prevention. Pulpectomy and formocresol pulpotomy were taught in the form of theoretical and practical education in 87.1% and 80.6% of the programmes, respectively. The method of education on common orthodontic topics was mainly theoretical with the exception of space maintainers. Instructions on managing trauma to permanent dentition was theoretical and practical in most programmes (61.3%). Most respondents rated the level of training of students in behaviour management and caries prevention as good to reasonable, while only 22.6% thought that the level of training was excellent in pulp therapy.

CONCLUSION

Variations were observed in paediatric dentistry education among undergraduate dental programmes in the Arabian region in terms of topics, instruction methods, year of introduction of paediatric dentistry education, and number of clinical sessions offered. This study establishes a framework for future paediatric dentistry curriculum development and/or improvement in the Arabian region.

A nationwide survey assessing the satisfaction of dental colleges graduates with their undergraduate experience in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE

To date, there are no publications on the Saudi graduates' perceived value of their dental curriculum. The aim of this nation-wide survey was to investigate graduates' satisfaction with specific disciplines of their dental education and training. The first part of this study addressed findings according to the respondents' gender and the number of years of postgraduate experience (Graduate-related factors).

METHODS

An electronic questionnaire was emailed to registrants of the Saudi Dental Society, specifically dental interns, general dentists, and specialized dentists who graduated from private and governmental dental colleges in Saudi Arabia (n = 2185).

RESULTS

The response rate was 36.4 %. The number of male respondents was (n = 352, 44.2 %), the remainder being female (n = 444, 55.8 %). The number of recent dentists (≤ 5 years since graduation) was (n = 428, 53.8 %) and experienced dentists (n = 368, 46.2 %). There were statistically significant gender variations in satisfaction levels, and among dentists with different post-graduation experiences. Although male and female dental students are taught similar curriculums and have similar graduation requirements, there were statistically significant differences in various subjects covered. Similarly, recent and experienced dentists reported statistically significant differences in satisfaction in various subjects.

CONCLUSION

This study provides graduates' perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of their dental education in Saudi Arabia. The findings help in curriculum reform and collaborations between the dental colleges nationally. Ultimately this can lead to formulating a national dental accreditation and assessment body.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The findings of this study provide graduates' perspective on the dental education received in Saudi Arabia. This will help stimulate discussion and collaboration within and amongst the colleges on improving their curriculum in this fast-paced, evolving field of dentistry.

Effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning to improve periodontics educational outcomes: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) has been suggested as a suitable learner-centered pedagogical approach in dental education. However, the results of TEL effectiveness in periodontics education are controversial. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of TEL to improve educational outcomes in the periodontics field compared to traditional learning methods.

METHODS

The search comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and crossover studies that were related to periodontics education from the following databases: MedLine, PsycINFO, Eric, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Two authors independently performed study selection, data extraction, and assessed risk of bias. Kirkpatrick's 4-level evaluation model was used to evaluate educational outcomes.

RESULTS

From 1642 studies, after applying inclusion criteria, 7 studies remained for analysis. On level 1 (Reaction), undergraduate dental students reported positive attitudes related to TEL. On level 2 (Learning), 3 studies found that TEL improved knowledge gain compared to traditional learning methods. Three other studies did not show any difference between TEL and conventional learning methods, and one found that traditional learning methods presented superior results. On level 3 (Behavior), 1 study found that TEL application improved students' performance. On level 4 (Results), 5 studies suggested that the implementation of TEL would improve educational outcomes in periodontics education if combined with traditional learning methods.

CONCLUSION

The findings showed that the exclusive use of TEL does not significantly improve periodontics educational outcomes when compared to traditional learning methods. However, the combination of TEL and traditional learning methods can be the key to enhancing periodontics education.

Student and Faculty Satisfaction with Their Dental Curriculum in a Dental College in Saudi Arabia

The existing dental curriculum is taught at the College of Dentistry since 2002. The aim of this research is to explore the satisfaction levels of faculty members and students with that curriculum. This information will justify a curriculum reformation plan that addresses the aspirations of both faculty members and students. In this cross-sectional study, a two-section survey was prepared. Section 1 investigated the level of satisfaction with the curriculum, and Section 2 sought reasons why participants were satisfied with the curriculum. The questionnaire was electronically mailed to faculty members, interns, and senior students. Data were analyzed to identify patterns and points of disagreement expressed by faculty and students. The overall response rate was 68.7%. The mean standard deviation (SD) score in the study sample from all respondents was 5.0 (+3.0). Faculty significantly registered higher satisfaction than students (mean (SD) = 5.9 (+2.9) and 4.1 (+2.8), P = 0.002). Results of multivariate analysis showed that faculty members were more satisfied with the curriculum than students because they thought the curriculum prepared competent graduates (regression coefficient = 1.76 and 0.69). Teaching staff and students' satisfaction levels with the curriculum were significantly associated with their perception that the curriculum produces competent graduates. Areas with low students' satisfaction levels were related to promotion of engagement with others and development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These areas should be the focus of future curriculum reformation to prepare competitive graduates with competences aligned with the recommendations of the Saudi Arabia Qualification Framework and of the international benchmarks.