Department of Developmental Sciences, Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
J Dent Educ. 2024 Jan;88(1):56-68. doi: 10.1002/jdd.13393. Epub 2023 Oct 24.
To maintain accreditation status, predoctoral dental programs in the United States and Canada are required to train future dentists in the fundamentals of behavioral sciences. Each program independently determines how to fulfill this task, and little information exists on the consistency of training across programs. The purpose of this study was to identify the range of topics currently taught in predoctoral dental programs in the United States and Canada, who teaches them, and the modes of instruction and assessment.
Invitations to complete an online survey were emailed to faculty responsible for, or familiar with, the behavioral sciences curricula at 75 predoctoral dental programs in the United States and Canada. Questions elicited information on behavioral sciences education at each program, including instructor background, topics taught, instructional and assessment methods, and sources of content.
Of those invited, 27 (36%) completed surveys. Per the responses, prototypical behavioral sciences programs usually consist of didactic/lecture format teaching, mostly during the first 2 years of the predoctoral program, by a dentist who assesses students using multiple-choice or true/false exams. The results indicated, however, substantial variation in what is taught, how it is taught, who teaches it, and how it is assessed.
While being a requirement for accreditation, this study demonstrated how behavioral and social sciences topics, teaching strategies, and assessments, along with the individuals teaching those topics varied across predoctoral programs. Consistency, coordination, and clinical integration are possible ways of enhancing behavioral science instruction.
为了保持认证地位，美国和加拿大的牙科学院需要培训未来的牙医掌握行为科学的基础知识。每个项目都独立确定如何完成这项任务，而关于项目之间培训一致性的信息很少。本研究的目的是确定美国和加拿大牙科学院目前教授的课程范围、授课教师以及教学和评估模式。
向美国和加拿大 75 个牙科学院负责或熟悉行为科学课程的教师发送电子邮件邀请，以完成在线调查。问题涉及每个项目的行为科学教育信息，包括教师背景、教授的主题、教学和评估方法以及内容来源。
受邀者中有 27 人（36%）完成了调查。根据回复，典型的行为科学课程通常采用牙医授课的讲授/讲座形式，主要在牙科学院前 2 年进行，通过多项选择题或是非题考试评估学生。然而，结果表明，所教授的内容、教学方法、授课教师以及评估方式存在很大差异。
虽然这是认证的要求，但本研究表明，行为和社会科学主题、教学策略和评估以及教授这些主题的人员在牙科学院之间存在差异。一致性、协调性和临床整合是增强行为科学教学的可能途径。
