Development of an Interdisciplinary Course in Information Resources and Evidence‐Based Dentistry

Abstract

The capacity to locate, access, and appraise information is an important skill required for success in dental school and beyond. An interdisciplinary course was implemented to teach first-year dental students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch about evidence-based dentistry, search strategies, critical appraisal of the literature, and dental informatics. Students learned to develop a clinical question, conduct a search to find answers to that question, and critically appraise one of the retrieved resources. Over a period of four years, a total of 259 dental students completed a questionnaire that requested their assessment of this course. Seventy-five percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they learned to effectively search databases such as the Cochrane Collaboration and PubMed and to critically appraise websites and journal articles and that the information on evidence-based dentistry and critical thinking skills was valuable.In response to open-ended questions, approximately 35 percent of the respondents mentioned the importance of learning to search PubMed and Cochrane databases. Approximately 20 percent of the respondents felt the course did not contain new information. These results indicated the effectiveness of the course in familiarizing the students with the capacity of online resources to help them locate, access, and appraise information pertinent to oral health issues and the practice of dentistry. A future goal is to integrate information and skills associated with evidence-based practice into other courses in the dental curriculum.Dr. Levine is Associate Professor,

A case study for teaching information literacy skills

“…These results strongly suggest the need for designing and incorporating information literacy and integration of technology-dependent, applied research assignments into graduate-level curricula. Although some evidence exists for guidance on successful evaluation strategies during the process of developing information literacy skills [ 17 , 18 ], relatively few examples of specific courses and specific recommendations can be found [ 19 ]. The results of this study suggest that placement of ILS and ICT teaching and learning modules should be integrated and incorporated early in the graduate curriculum.…”

Development of an evidence-based dentistry course for dental students and its effect on their awareness, attitude and self-assessed knowledge

“…Previous studies have shown that EBD courses can improve critical appraisal expertise. Levin et al (2008) emphasized the benefits of an interdisciplinary course that was implemented to teach first-year dental students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch about EBD, search strategies, critical appraisal of the literature and dental informatics 16 . Thomas et al (2009) also implemented a similar course in the University of Kentucky and reported that the course was successful 17 .…”

Collecting Questionnaire and Interview Data: Evaluating Approaches to Developing Digital Literacy Skills

“…Social work students, especially those at Level 1, are more likely than health and social care students to think skills are important, that they will be able use them in employment, and that their employer also thinks digital literacy is important. Levine et al (2008) found that dentistry students value information literacy skills when the relevance to their professional practice is made clear. Edmunds, Thorpe and Conole (2012) found that ICT is perceived by students most positively in the work context.…”