Capitalizing on the treatment planning process to enhance dental education

Abstract

A comprehensive treatment plan integrates all elements shaping a patient's behavior, decisions, and barriers to health. 1 Creating a treatment plan integrates evidence-based practices, critical thinking, patient-centered care, and knowledge of clinical and behavioral sciences. In dental school, treatment planning can be seen as an obstacle to the "real work" and evidence suggests that it is only briefly touched on in theory and only within the context of a specific discipline. 2 At the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, three courses address treatment planning (D1, D2 and D4 years) and are 13 contact hours each. Additionally, treatment planning skills are augmented during live patient experiences from D2 to D4 years.