Development of a Core Curriculum Framework in Cariology for U.S. Dental Schools

Abstract

Maintenance of health and preservation of tooth structure through risk-based prevention and patient-centered, evidencebased disease management, reassessed at regular intervals over time, are the cornerstones of present-day caries management. Yet management of caries based on risk assessment that goes beyond restorative care has not had a strong place in curriculum development and competency assessment in U.S. dental schools. The aim of this study was to develop a competency-based core cariology curriculum framework for use in U.S. dental schools. The Section on Cariology of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) organized a one-day consensus workshop, followed by a meeting program, to adapt the European Core Cariology Curriculum to the needs of U.S. dental education. Participants in the workshop were 73 faculty members from 35 U.S., three Canadian, and four international dental schools. Representatives from all 65 U.S. dental schools were then invited to review and provide feedback on a draft document. A recommended competency statement on caries management was also developed: "Upon graduation, a dentist must be competent in evidence-based detection, diagnosis, risk assessment, prevention, and nonsurgical and surgical management of dental caries, both at the individual and community levels, and be able to reassess the outcomes of interventions over time." This competency statement supports a curriculum framework built around five domains: 1) knowledge base; 2) risk assessment, diagnosis, and synthesis; 3) treatment decision making: preventive strategies and nonsurgical management; 4) treatment decision making: surgical therapy; and 5) evidence-based cariology in clinical and public health practice. Each domain includes objectives and learning outcomes.

EFCD Curriculum for undergraduate students in Integrated Conservative Oral Healthcare (ConsCare)

“…The prevention of caries relies on patients following dietary advice and practicing effective oral hygiene, including the use of fluoride-containing toothpaste, possibly supplemented by the use of mouthwash and other oral hygiene aids [3,4]. Current curricula and clinical guidelines reflect the increasing emphasis on caries prevention [5,6], but caries still remains a highly prevalent disease in all age groups [7,8], with growing concerns for, in particular, the increased prevalence of root caries in older patients [9]. As such, operative intervention to treat carious teeth, and successively repair or replace failing restorations, will continue to be part of the daily routine of general oral healthcare providers (general dental practitioners) across the world for many years to come.…”

Contenidos de cariología impartidos por escuelas dentales chilenas: Estudio transversal.

“…Enseñados teoricamente Estados Unidos por Fontana y cols. (18) (83%), y Diaz-Yokens y cols. (17) en Chile (85,7%) en comparación con aquellos con menor tasa de respuesta como Clark y Mjör (12) en EEUU (66%), el realizado en Europa por Schulte y cols.…”

Creación de un Currículo de Competencias en Cariología para Estudiantes de Pregrado de Odontología en Chile.

“…La primera fue la revisión de las competencias en Cariología, a partir de la propuesta de currículo mínimo realizada por ORCA (European Organisation for Caries Research) (10) y replicado posteriormente en EE.UU. (12) , para consensuar un marco común de competencias en Cariología y paralelamente el reconocimiento de la realidad epidemiológica chilena (19)(20)(21)(22) . Ese trabajo, desarrollado por académicos de la Universidad de Talca y la Universidad de Chile durante el año 2011, incluyó la adaptación idiomática y el análisis de la pertinencia académica y cultural a la realidad chilena.…”

“…UU. y en Japón muestra contenidos parcialmente logrados y con diversos grados de profundidad en el pregrado de sus escuelas dentales (12)(13)(14) . En un estudio realizado en algunas escuelas de odontología de América Latina, la Cariología es descrita como parte de los currículos, pero muestra alta variabilidad en términos de la planificación y logros alcanzados (15) .…”