International Dental Education Course for Clinical Expertise at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School

• Published in: Journal of Medical and Dental Sciences Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 123 - 130
• Main Authors: Naoko Seki, Manabu Kanazawa, Yuriko Komagamine, Koji Mizutani, Keiichi Hosaka, Wataru Komada, Janelle Moross, Shinji Kuroda, Masayo Sunaga, Yoko Kawaguchi, Ikuko Morio, Atsuhiro Kinoshita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Medical and Dental University 2018
• ISSN: 1342-8810
• DOI: 10.11480/jmds.650302

[Abstract] The aim of this report is to assess and introduce the new dental educational course on clinical expertise which has been established at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), named "Essential Expertise for Clinical Dentistry" (EECD). Designed to offer lectures and hands-on learning experiences to dental professionals, it has been offered to graduate students at TMDU since 2016. Enrollment in the 4 hands-on sessions of the course in 2016 was 18, 13, 21, and 19; and in the 3 hands-on sessions of the course in 2017 was 14, 15, and 14, respectively. Post questionnaire-surveys were conducted following hands-on sessions to assess students' overall satisfaction with the course, including explanations given by the instructors, session style, instructors' English proficiency, materials and instruments, and the need for such a course in the participants' home countries. The respondents provided favorable feedback for all the survey items, which revealed their learning interests and needs regarding clinical dental education, and the possible demand for this type of course internationally. Therefore, we can say that there is a significant need for courses like EECD, which provide life-long learning opportunities for dental professionals worldwide. There are plans to make the EECD course available worldwide someday in the future.