Journal of dental education
-
The International Dental Federation and World Health Organization have promoted the use of Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) in modern clinical settings worldwide. In the United States, the practice of ART is not believed to be widely used, which may be a result of little attention given to ART training in predoctoral pediatric dentistry curricula in U. S. dental schools. ⋯ These predoctoral pediatric dentistry programs used ART mainly in primary, anterior, and single-surface cavities and as interim treatment. As ART increases access of children to dental care, the incorporation of the ART approach into the curricula of U. S. dental schools should be facilitated by professional organizations.
-
The purpose of this report is to describe the general use of clickers as an active learning tool and how they were used in teaching a combined periodontology course for second-year dental and junior dental hygiene students. A survey was used to capture student perceptions following completion of the course. Specific domains were active learning, improved performance, and expectations. ⋯ In addition, faculty members appreciated the greater participation afforded through the use of clickers to obtain a better understanding of the students' grasp of course content. Learning theory suggests that students must actively engage in the learning process in order for meaningful learning in the form of critical thinking and problem-solving to take place. In this study, students confirmed that the use of clicker technology encouraged their active participation in a periodontology course.
-
Dental education has undergone significant curriculum reform in response to the 1995 Institute of Medicine report Dental Education at the Crossroads and the series of white papers from the American Dental Education Association Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education (ADEA CCI) first published in the Journal of Dental Education and subsequently collected in a volume titled Beyond the Crossroads: Change and Innovation in Dental Education. An important element of this reform has been the introduction into academic dentistry of active learning strategies such as problem-based and case-based learning. As an aide to broadening understanding of these approaches in order to support their expansion in dental education, this article reviews the major characteristics of each approach, situates each in adult learning theory, and discusses the advantages of case-based learning in the development of a multidisciplinary, integrated predoctoral dental curriculum.