JDE
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Dent Educ. 71(5): 632-645 2007
© 2007 American Dental Education Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Henzi, D.
Right arrow Articles by Hendricson, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Henzi, D.
Right arrow Articles by Hendricson, W.

Critical Issues in Dental Education

In the Students’ Own Words: What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Dental School Curriculum?

David Henzi, Ed.D.; Elaine Davis, Ph.D.; Roma Jasinevicius, D.D.S., M.Ed.; William Hendricson, M.S., M.A.

Key words: curriculum, SWOT, qualitative, student perceptions, dental education, dental students

Submitted for publication 10/02/06; accepted 01/11/07

Dental students have little input into the selection of course topics and subject matter included in their dental curricula. Curriculum requirements are framed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, which has stipulated competencies and associated biomedical and clinical knowledge that must be addressed during dental school. Although these competency requirements restrict the variance of educational experiences, students are eager to share their views on the curriculum within the realm of their educational experience. The objective of this research project was to elicit the perspectives of dental students from a broad cross-section of U.S. and Canadian dental schools about their education. A total of 605 students (285 sophomores, 220 seniors, 100 residents) from twenty North American dental schools completed a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to communicate their perceptions of the curriculum. Students were also asked to provide their impressions of the overall quality of the educational program in an open-ended written format. The students’ qualitative comments were then reviewed and categorized into key issues or themes. Resulting themes for each category of the Curriculum SWOT (C-SWOT) analysis were the following. Strengths: 1) clinical learning experience, and 2) opportunity to work with knowledgeable faculty. Weaknesses: 1) disorganized and inefficient clinical learning environment, 2) teaching and testing that focus on memorization, 3) poor quality instruction characterized by curricular disorganization, and 4) inconsistency among instructors during student evaluations. Opportunities: 1) develop strategies to provide students with more exposure to patients, especially early in the curriculum, and 2) opportunities to learn new technology/techniques. Threats: 1) cost of dental education, 2) students’ concerns about faculty "brain drain," i.e., lack of sufficient numbers of dental faculty capable of providing high-quality instruction, and 3) questionable treatment of patients in the dental clinic as a consequence of pursuing procedural requirements. This report presents commentaries selected from 2,421 total responses that communicate students’ perspectives related to C-SWOT themes. Students at seven schools in this study reported that they completed all or portions of the first two years of the curriculum in combined classes with medical students. Sophomore and senior students at these schools provided their thoughts on this curricular approach; these perceptions are also reported. Findings from this study are compared to results from a similar investigation of dental student perceptions conducted fifty years ago. We conclude that students participating in this study were positive overall about their learning experiences in dental schools, but identified several areas that appear to be problematic for many students at a variety of different schools including fundamental concerns about instructional quality in some areas of the curriculum. Academic program administrators in dental schools can use these findings to guide modifications that will enhance the overall dental education experience.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
D. O. Willis
Using Competencies to Improve Dental Practice Management Education
J Dent Educ., October 1, 2009; 73(10): 1144 - 1152.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
A. Obrez, D. J. Lee, A. Organ-Boshes, J. C.-C. Yuan, and G. W. Knight
A Clinically Oriented Complete Denture Program for Second-Year Dental Students
J Dent Educ., October 1, 2009; 73(10): 1194 - 1201.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
A. Polychronopoulou and K. Divaris
Dental Students' Perceived Sources of Stress: A Multi-Country Study
J Dent Educ., May 1, 2009; 73(5): 631 - 639.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
W. D. Hendricson
The ADEA CCI Series of Articles: Perspectives and Reflections in Dental Education (PRIDE)
J Dent Educ., February 1, 2009; 73(2): 160 - 165.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
J. E.N. Albino, S. K. Young, L. M. Neumann, G. A. Kramer, S. C. Andrieu, L. Henson, B. Horn, and W. D. Hendricson
Assessing Dental Students' Competence: Best Practice Recommendations in the Performance Assessment Literature and Investigation of Current Practices in Predoctoral Dental Education
J Dent Educ., December 1, 2008; 72(12): 1405 - 1435.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
M. P. Walker, S. I. Duley, M. M. Beach, L. Deem, R. Pileggi, N. Samet, A. Segura, and J. N. Williams
Dental Education Economics: Challenges and Innovative Strategies
J Dent Educ., December 1, 2008; 72(12): 1440 - 1449.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
A. Nimmo, G. S. Mitchell, L. Echeto, and A. K. Ojha
Effect of Dental Students as Instructors on Preclinical Performance in Prosthodontics
J Dent Educ., December 1, 2008; 72(12): 1488 - 1492.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
M. I. Ryder, P. Sargent, and D. Perry
Evolution and Revolution: The Curriculum Reform Process at UCSF
J Dent Educ., December 1, 2008; 72(12): 1516 - 1530.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
L. Jahangiri and M. Choi
A Model for an Integrated Predoctoral Implant Curriculum: Implementation and Outcomes
J Dent Educ., November 1, 2008; 72(11): 1304 - 1317.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
K. Tanaka, T. Honda, and K. Kitamura
Dentistry in Japan Should Become a Specialty of Medicine with Dentists Educated as Oral Physicians
J Dent Educ., September 1, 2008; 72(9): 1077 - 1083.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
S. Thikkurissy, M. L. Rowland, C. Y. Bean, A. Kumar, K. Levings, and P. S. Casamassimo
Rethinking the Role of Community-Based Clinical Education in Pediatric Dentistry
J Dent Educ., June 1, 2008; 72(6): 662 - 668.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
L. Jahangiri, T. W. Mucciolo, M. Choi, and A. I. Spielman
Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness in U.S. Dental Schools and the Value of Triangulation
J Dent Educ., June 1, 2008; 72(6): 707 - 718.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
W. R. Cardall, R. C. Rowan, and C. Bay
Dental Education from the Students' Perspective: Curriculum and Climate
J Dent Educ., May 1, 2008; 72(5): 600 - 609.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
J. M. Roger
The Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program: A Pilot Program to Introduce Dental Students to Academia
J Dent Educ., April 1, 2008; 72(4): 438 - 447.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
K. FitzGerald, N. S. Seale, C. A. Kerins, and R. McElvaney
The Critical Incident Technique: A Useful Tool for Conducting Qualitative Research
J Dent Educ., March 1, 2008; 72(3): 299 - 304.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
K. FitzGerald, N. S. Seale, C. A. Kerins, R. McElvaney, and E. Fitzgerald
The Critical Incident Technique and Pediatric Dentistry: A Worked Example
J Dent Educ., March 1, 2008; 72(3): 305 - 316.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
B. Hutchins and S. Cobb
When Will We Be Ready for Academic Integrity?
J Dent Educ., March 1, 2008; 72(3): 359 - 363.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
Genetics and Its Implications for Clinical Dental Practice and Education: Report of Panel 3 of the Macy Study
J Dent Educ., February 1, 2008; 72(2_suppl): 86 - 94.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
J. A. Horst
Bootstrapping Student Publication in the JDE: An ADEA Council of Students Initiative
J Dent Educ., October 1, 2007; 71(10): 1265 - 1266.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
K. Roth
Dental Education: A Leadership Challenge for Dental Educators and Practitioners
J Dent Educ., August 1, 2007; 71(8): 983 - 987.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the American Dental Education Association.