O-Health-Edu: A viewpoint into the current state of oral health professional education in Europe: Part 2: Curriculum structure, facilities, staffing and quality assurance.

INTRODUCTION: Oral health professional (OHP) education is likely to vary across Europe in accordance with an EU directive that is open to broad interpretation. It is not clear how OHP curricula are structured or delivered across Europe. The objectives of Part 2 of this paper series are: (i) to provide an overview of common practices in curriculum structure, the availability of facilities, staffing (faculty) and quality assurance processes and (ii) to consider how the existing programme structures align to stakeholder guidance documents. METHODS: A total of 27 questions from a 91-item questionnaire were used for this manuscript. The questionnaire was developed following the Delphi method to establish consensus from a group of experts. Members of the research team and colleagues from other countries in Europe completed a multi-step piloting process. An online data hub was created to allow the respondents to be data controllers and respond to the questionnaire. ADEE member schools (n = 144) were invited to provide data. RESULTS: Totally, 71 institutions from 25 European countries provided data between June 2021 and April 2023, which represents a response rate of 49.3% of ADEE members. Data on curriculum approaches, teaching methods, integration of topics of interest, clinical education, staff-student ratios, access to facilities and new technologies, teaching staff (faculty) and quality assurance processes are presented for Primary Dental Degree Programmes. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this series of papers are the first attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of OHP education in Europe. Results showed that the majority of European dental programmes are engaged in providing innovative and scientifically grounded education in order to develop quality future OHPs. Nevertheless, significant variability in the delivery of clinical education across the European OHP schools was notable in this dataset. A comprehensive view of the state of OHP education in Europe is not yet available but the O-Health-Edu data hub provides a means for all education providers in Europe to contribute data to reach this goal. It is anticipated that the data hub will be updated and built upon over time to continually establish a clearer picture of the state of OHP education in Europe.

O-HEALTH-EDU: A viewpoint into the current state of Oral Health Professional education in Europe: Part 1: Programme-level data.

INTRODUCTION: Current legislation leaves Oral Health Professional (OHP) education open to wide interpretation and may result in significant variation in educational practice and resultant professional attributes across Europe. Data regarding the current state of OHP education across Europe is limited. The aim of Part 1 of this series is to provide programme-level data for Primary Dental Degree Programmes, Dental Hygiene and Postgraduate Education. METHODS: A 91-item questionnaire was developed following the Delphi method. The questionnaire and the Articulate glossary of OHP education terms were developed concurrently to facilitate a common understanding of language. Piloting was performed in multiple stages and included institutions internal and external to the research group. The questionnaire was uploaded online and converted to a data hub, allowing dental schools to control their own data and update the data provided whenever they wish. All ADEE member schools (n = 144) were invited to provide data. Forty questions relating to school details, Primary Dental Degree Programmes, Dental Hygiene and Postgraduate Education were included in this part of the series. RESULTS: Seventy-one institutions from 25 European countries provided data between June 2021 and April 2023, which represents a response rate of 49.3% of ADEE members. Programme-level data for Primary Dental Degree Programmes, Dental Hygiene and Postgraduate Education is presented including programme length, funding, languages and fees, student numbers and demographics, student admission and selection processes and permission to practice after graduation. CONCLUSION: This series of papers, as far as the authors are aware, are the first attempts to build a comprehensive picture of the current state of OHP education in Europe. A comprehensive view of the state of OHP education in Europe is not yet available but the O-Health-Edu data hub provides a means for all education providers in Europe to contribute data to reach this goal. It is anticipated that the data hub will be updated and built upon over time to continually establish a clearer picture of the state of OHP education in Europe.

Addressing Oral Health Disparities Via Educational Foci on Cultural Competence.

An ever-present challenge for the oral health profession is to reduce the extent of oral disease among racial and ethnic minority populations. Adding to this complex dilemma is the linkage between oral health and systemic health. We describe enhanced cultural competency, in the context of individual cultural beliefs, values, language, practice, and health behaviors, among dental professionals, as one approach to meeting the dental care needs of the underserved. An overview and examples of teaching methods used by University of Florida dental educators to enhance student cultural competency is provided. Evidence-based evaluation results provide evidence of methodology efficacy. We conclude by describing actions that can be implemented by academic dental institutions to facilitate development of culturally competent practitioners.

An evolving community-based dental course on professionalism and community service.

In 2007, the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia formally introduced the course Professionalism and Community Service (PACS) in year one of its dental curriculum. PACS features community-based dental education as an experiential learning pedagogy, as well as additional themes that support the community experience. PACS will be incorporated into all four years of the curriculum, with health promotion activities in community sites as the focus in years one and two and the provision of patient care in community clinics in years three and four. Students are encouraged to provide feedback on this newly implemented course. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the themes and modules of PACS, in the context of its being an evolving course for implementing community-based health promotion activities as experiential education for dental students. The current PACS modules are designed to expose students to a variety of experiences-from assessing community needs and developing, applying, and evaluating an educational health promotion activity to demonstrating a systematic approach to ethical reasoning and critical thinking. In their feedback, students have expressed their appreciation for the community experience and suggested modifications to the course in terms of guidelines and assignments.

Education of dentists in China.

China is geographically located in the east of Asia and its population exceeds 1.3 billion. An understanding of dental education in China is thus of interest. However, as there is little published information on this topic, this paper provides information about China regarding its dental history, dental school system including curriculum and dental licensure. High school graduates take a nationwide entrance examination to apply for dental school, of which there are more than 50 in China. A five year dental education leads to the BDS degree. Dental school graduates must then pass the nationwide licensure examination to practise dentistry. Currently, there are not adequate numbers of dentists to provide the necessary oral health care for people living outside metropolitan areas.

Progressing the action plan in Scotland--an educational perspective.

In March 2005 the Scottish Executive Health Department published the 'Action plan for improving oral health and modernising NHS dental services in Scotland'. Six areas required major new educational input: pre-qualification education, workforce supply, career development, dental practice and team development, clinical effectiveness/quality improvement and support for the oral health strategy. Targets from the action plan that have been fully achieved include: 1) undergraduate student numbers have reached the target output of 135 per year; 2) vocational training numbers match graduate numbers; 3) a vocational training scheme for dental therapists has been developed and numbers of VT places will match the number of qualifying therapists; 4) a new strategy to support dental nurse training will allow an additional 200 dental nurse training places by 2007; and 5) a clinical effectiveness programme has developed a rolling programme of guidelines, the first one of which, on conscious sedation, was released in May. The dental action plan has provided Scotland with the best opportunity for modernising dental services since the NHS was established. This paper describes some of the educational developments that will ensure NHS dental services in Scotland are 'fit for the future' and 'delivering for health'.

Students' perceptions of effective classroom and clinical teaching in dental and dental hygiene education.

Effective teaching behaviors have been studied in various arenas in higher education. However, there is limited research documenting effective teaching behaviors in dentistry and dental hygiene. Our qualitative study attempts to define effective teaching in both the classroom and clinic for dentistry and dental hygiene students. A total of 175 dental and dental hygiene undergraduate students nominated a total of forty instructors for teaching awards, providing a total of 695 qualitative statements reflecting their teaching in two learning contexts: the classroom and the clinic. Seven categories of effective teaching qualities were identified: individual rapport, organization, enthusiasm, learning, group interaction, exams and assignments, and breadth. Based on the frequency of the themes, effective teaching in the classroom was best defined by organization and rapport, whereas in the clinic, rapport was the most frequently described behavior. Moreover, dentistry students perceived enthusiasm as an effective teaching quality more frequently than did dental hygiene students, whereas dental hygiene students provided more responses to learning. These findings can provide guidance in preparing undergraduate dental and dental hygiene educators to enter the teaching environment. The ultimate goal to be achieved from identification of effective teaching qualities, as determined in this study, is improvement in clinical and classroom teaching for dentistry and dental hygiene programs.

The education and training of personnel auxiliary to dentistry. A submission to the Nuffield Foundation.

This paper, which is based on a submission to the Nuffield Report, is proposing that there should be an alternative route to qualification as a dental surgeon. This might consist of a series of graded clinical modules separated by periods of paid employment as a dental auxiliary. During those periods of employment the auxiliary would have to follow a distance learning programme consisting of appropriate academic modules. Licence for independent practice as a dental surgeon would be given on completion of this modular degree course.

Educating the educators--do university lecturers require training in educational practice?

Universities are coming under increasing pressure to improve their quality and accountability, both in research and in teaching. However whilst there has always been a formal training programme in research, teaching in higher education has generally been carried out by an 'untrained profession'. To accede to the demands of their university, teachers may do two things, either improve their teaching or help students to improve their learning. In order to do either they must have an adequate understanding of educational principles.

Oral hygienists' education in transition.

In 1996 the Dental Faculty of the University of the Western Cape introduced a modular curriculum for Oral Hygiene students. The aim was to change from a subject-based to an outcomes-based programme, which would emphasise the competencies of hygienists. The development of this programme has meant ongoing evaluation and therefore amendments and revisions have been made throughout the course. This curriculum could be re-registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) which describes competencies for the eight main level descriptors. This new approach to teaching allows for a laddered approach to training with intermediate exit qualifications. Oral hygienists' would thus for the first time have a career path in the oral health profession as it allows them to proceed from a Diploma to a Degree and to have the prospect of doing a Masters Degree.

Valoración metodológica de temarios de exámenes finales de las carreras de medicina, estomatología y enfermería / Methodological evaluation of the final examinations of medicine: dentistry and nursing

Fundamento: en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos no existen estudios que aporten una visión general de los aciertos y desaciertos en la confección de temarios de exámenes, por lo cual se desconoce en qué medida se cumplen las recomendaciones para la elaboración de los temarios de exámenes finales. Objetivo: valorar aspectos metodológicos de temarios de exámenes finales de las carreras de Medicina, Estomatología y Enfermería.Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos, durante los cursos 2012/2013 y 2013/2014. Se revisaron 109 temarios de exámenes finales (a razón de dos por asignatura) de las carreras de Medicina, Estomatología y Enfermería, que sumaron 629 preguntas. Se revisaron los programas de las asignaturas, contrastándose objetivos y habilidades declaradas con los contenidos a evaluar. Resultados: el formato de pregunta más utilizado fue el ensayo modificado de respuestas cortas. De los 109 temarios, 88,9 por ciento tuvo las raíces bien confeccionadas, 59,6 por ciento los ítems bien elaborados y 61,6 por ciento las escalas de calificación correctas. Los errores más frecuentes fueron: omisión del asunto o contenido en las raíces de las preguntas; tarea imprecisa en preguntas de ensayo modificado; y preguntas tipo complemento simple con tres opciones de respuestas. El 64,7 por ciento de las preguntas fueron reproductivas. Conclusión: la mayoría de los temarios está confeccionada adecuadamente, pero se observaron dificultades en la elaboración de preguntas y escalas de calificación. El alto porcentaje de preguntas reproductivas se constató como una debilidad, al limitar la validez conceptual(AU)

Background: there are no studies providing an overview of the strengths and weaknesses in the design of final examinations in the medical university of Cienfuegos; consequently, it is unknown to what extent the recommendations for constructing those exams are met. Objective: to evaluate methodological aspects of the final examinations of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. Methods: a descriptive study was conducted at the medical university of Cienfuegos during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 academic years. One hundred nine final exams (at a ratio of two per subject) of the Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing programs were reviewed, for a total of 629 questions. The syllabi were analyzed, contrasting the objectives and skills with the contents to be examined. Results: The most common question format was the modified essay question requiring short answers. Of the 109 exams, 88.9 percent had well-constructed stems, 59.6 percent well-designed items and 61.6 percent correct rating scales. The most frequent errors were omission of the subject or content in the stem of the questions; imprecise task in modified essay questions; and multiple-choice questions with a simple alternative to be selected out of three. Sixty four point seven percent of the questions involved reproduction of knowledge. Conclusion: most of the exams are properly designed, but there are some difficulties in the construction of questions and rating scales. The high percentage of questions aimed at reproducing knowledge was regarded as a weakness since they limit the conceptual validity(AU)

The future of dental education.

This paper reviews the highlights of some of the current literature on the future of dental education and also focuses on a 10-year follow-up on certain aspects of the Pennsylvania Experiment.

O papel do professor na percepção dos alunos de odontologia / The role of the teacher according to the perceptions of dentistry students'

É necessário que a qualidade das estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem utilizadas no ensino superior seja revista em decorrência das demandas da sociedade e da implantação das diretrizes curriculares nacionais. Neste contexto, analisamos a percepção de alunos do curso de graduação em odontologia da Universidade Estadual do Londrina a respeito do papel do professor no processo ensino-aprendizagem. Para isso, adotamos a abordagem qualitativa. A geração de dados ocorreu por meio de entrevista semi-estruturada. O estudo revelou que o professor tem papel fundamental no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. O ensino de graduação em odontologia pode ser compreendido como um sistema formador de profissisonais para o mercado de trabalho; as estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem baseiam-se em exposições orais, e o método de avaliação consta de provas tradicionais teóricas e práticas. Podemos concluir, portanto, que há uma necessidade de mudanças na graduação do cirurgião-dentista para que seja possível formar os profissionais de forma generalista, humanista, crítica e reflexiva.