Bamedhaf Omar, Salman Hira, Tegginmani Shakeel Ahmed, Guraya Shaista Salman
Dental department, Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Graduate Medical Education, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):844. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07441-y.
Environmental sustainability (ES) is an essential consideration in modern healthcare, including dentistry, due to the industry's significant ecological footprint. The dental sector generates considerable waste, consumes high levels of energy and water, and contributes to pollution through materials such as dental amalgam. In response, integrating ES principles into dental curricula has emerged as a vital strategy to foster environmentally responsible practitioners. Despite various initiatives and frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the extent and effectiveness of ES education in dental programs remain inconsistent. This scoping review aims to map the global landscape of ES integration within dental education, identifying existing practices, barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
This scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework to systematically identify and analyze studies on ES in dental curricula. A structured literature search was conducted across PubMed, SCOPUS, and Embase using predefined MeSH terms and keywords related to dental education and sustainability. Studies published within the last ten years were included, with a final selection of 23 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The extracted data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework, ensuring a structured and systematic categorization of emerging themes. The thematic analysis involved familiarization with the data, generation of initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes for coherence, defining and naming them, and finally reporting the results.
The review identified six major themes using a deductive approach, guided by David Cook's educational research framework, to categorize findings into three key levels: (1) Descriptive studies, which assessed awareness and knowledge levels among students and faculty; (2) Justification studies, which evaluated the effectiveness of ES focused educational interventions; and (3) Clarification studies, which explored systemic barriers, best practices, and policy-level implications. Through this structured classification, the themes that emerged included (1) awareness and perceptions of ES, (2) barriers to implementation, (3) gaps in ES education, (4) best practices for integrating ES, (5) trends and future directions, and (6) the effectiveness of educational interventions. While structured training programs demonstrated positive impacts on student engagement and knowledge, ES education in dental curricula remains inconsistent, lacking standardized learning objectives, institutional policies, and faculty training.
This review underscores the urgent need for a structured and comprehensive integration of ES within dental education. While ES awareness is increasing, significant gaps remain in faculty preparedness, curriculum standardization, and institutional support. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts, including policy mandates, faculty development programs, and innovative teaching strategies. By embedding ES into dental curricula, institutions can equip future dental professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement environmentally responsible practices and contribute to a more sustainable healthcare system.
由于现代医疗行业（包括牙科）具有巨大的生态足迹，环境可持续性（ES）已成为现代医疗保健中的一个重要考量因素。牙科行业产生大量废物，消耗大量能源和水，并通过牙科汞合金等材料造成污染。作为回应，将环境可持续性原则纳入牙科课程已成为培养对环境负责的从业者的一项重要战略。尽管有各种举措和框架，包括联合国可持续发展目标（SDGs），但牙科项目中环境可持续性教育的程度和效果仍不一致。本范围综述旨在描绘牙科教育中环境可持续性整合的全球格局，确定现有做法、障碍和改进机会。
本范围综述遵循阿克斯西和奥马利的框架，系统地识别和分析牙科课程中有关环境可持续性的研究。使用与牙科教育和可持续性相关的预定义医学主题词（MeSH）和关键词，在PubMed、SCOPUS和Embase上进行结构化文献检索。纳入过去十年内发表的研究，最终筛选出23项符合纳入标准的研究。使用布劳恩和克拉克的主题分析框架对提取的数据进行分析，确保对新出现的主题进行结构化和系统的分类。主题分析包括熟悉数据、生成初始代码、寻找主题、审查主题的连贯性、定义和命名主题，最后报告结果。
本综述采用演绎法，以大卫·库克的教育研究框架为指导，确定了六个主要主题，将研究结果分为三个关键层面：（1）描述性研究，评估学生和教师的意识和知识水平；（2）论证性研究，评估以环境可持续性为重点的教育干预措施的有效性；（3）阐释性研究，探讨系统性障碍、最佳实践和政策层面的影响。通过这种结构化分类，出现的主题包括：（1）对环境可持续性的认识和看法；（2）实施障碍；（3）环境可持续性教育的差距；（4）整合环境可持续性的最佳实践；（5）趋势和未来方向；（6）教育干预措施的有效性。虽然结构化培训项目对学生参与度和知识有积极影响，但牙科课程中的环境可持续性教育仍然不一致，缺乏标准化的学习目标、机构政策和教师培训。
本综述强调了在牙科教育中对环境可持续性进行结构化和全面整合的迫切需求。虽然对环境可持续性的认识在提高，但在教师准备、课程标准化和机构支持方面仍存在重大差距。应对这些挑战需要协调努力，包括政策指令、教师发展项目和创新教学策略。通过将环境可持续性纳入牙科课程，机构可以使未来的牙科专业人员具备实施对环境负责的实践所需的知识和技能，并为更可持续的医疗保健系统做出贡献。
