A community of learners in the evidence‐based dental clinic

Abstract

An increasing emphasis has been placed on the need for an evidence‐based approach in dentistry. This calls for effort in dental education to develop and implement tools for the application of evidence in clinical decision‐making (evidence‐based decision‐making, EBDM). Aim: To evaluate whether the implementation of a community of learners (COL) within a clinical EBDM course enables students, clinical teachers and scientists to discuss the application of evidence in clinical decision‐making and whether it stimulates a scientific approach in students. Material and Methods: A clinical course in EBDM was created. Students presented and discussed patient cases in a COL of student‐peers, clinical teachers and scientists. From the discussion, clinical questions arose and were translated into PICO format (Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome). Students searched for evidence in the literature. Four weeks later, they presented and discussed the evidence found. Before and after the implementation of the course, students, clinical teachers and scientists completed a questionnaire anonymously on the procedure adopted, its content, the learning outcomes and their appreciation of this course. Assessment of the competence EBDM was performed at the end of the course. Grading scores of students in the COL were compared with scores of a student group that did not participate in the COL and were not advised by scientists. Results: Evaluation showed that scientists, clinical teachers and students gradually became more positive on the adopted procedure, content, learning outcomes and the appreciation of this course (ANOVA Bonferoni P < 0.05). The student’s evaluation showed the development of a more scientific approach. Assessment scores of EBDM were sufficient and promising. Conclusion: A stimulating arena was created: a COL, in which the evidence used in clinical decision‐making, was discussed. The COL involved dental students, clinical teachers and scientists. In this setting, an EBDM course appeared to result in a more scientific approach from dental students. The COL provided a good working concept for EBDM in dental education.

Knowledge and attitude of dental faculty members towards evidence‐based dentistry in Iran

“…The findings of this study similar to other previous research on EBD or EBM highlight the interest of dental academicians in implementing evidence-based practice and also identifying and verifying number of barriers that could be addressed through provision of training and allocation of proper resources (13,17,18,23). Therefore, results of this study offer important directions to improve evidence-based oral health care in Iranian dental schools, moreover, provide some suggestions for dental education in the region.…”

“…In a study conducted in an academic centre for dentistry, the evidence used in clinical decision making was discussed in a community of learners involving dental students, clinical teachers and scientists. An evidence‐based decision making course seemed to stimulate a more scientific approach from dental students . This, in turn, emphasises the active role of educators in developing dental students' positive EBD attitude right from the start .…”

Evidence‐based dentistry for planning restorative treatments: barriers and potential solutions

“…As part of the clinical emphasis on EBD at the McGill undergraduate programme, dental students participate in seminars to discuss and investigate the best available evidence for determining an effective treatment plan (20). European dental institutes such as Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit have shown promising results by also applying EBD in their curriculum (25,90). Lately, there has been a positive interest and attitude towards learning EBD by scientists, clinical teachers and students (6,25,79,93,94), as well as dental clinicians (82,83,86).…”

Innovations in Teaching and Learning Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of Using Haptic Simulators in Higher Education for Dental Students and Other Health Care Disciplines

“…The growth of computer technology and increasing use of TEL in all sectors of education have led to changes in the delivery of courses which can transform the way that some schools, colleges and universities support teaching and learning [4,5]. There have been many previous studies reporting on the various benefits of using haptic simulators in dental and medical education which support curriculum innovation and development in university teaching and learning [6][7][8]. Furthermore, previous longitudinal studies into the impact of the use of the hapTEL simulator on students' learning have shown that students taught in Year 1 of the Dental undergraduate programme using only the hapTEL simulator achieved similar accuracy compared with those taught traditionally when assessed at the end of the course sessions [9].…”