Introducing a Comprehensive Care Model in Clinical Undergraduate Dental Education at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro: Students’ Perception.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52442/jrcd.v7i3.242Keywords:
Dental Education, Clinical Competency-Based Education (CBME), Clinical workplace-based learning (CWBL), Comprehensive Care Clinic (CC), Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS), Student PerceptionAbstract
Background: We hypothesized that comprehensive care clinic exposed students report higher self-perceived preparedness in both procedural and professional domains of the Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS) than students in fragmented clinical postings.
Materials and Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, multi-institutional comparative design at Institute of Dentistry, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. Final year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from four dental colleges in Pakistan were recruited using convenience sampling, including one institution (LUMHS) that implemented an integrative CCC rotationand compared with students from three institutions with conventional, discipline-based clinical rotations. Preparedness was assessed using the validated DU-PAS instrument. Scores were compared using Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s tests.
Results: A total of 166 students participated. LUMHS students had the highest mean ranks in radiographic prescription (p=0.005), periodontal treatment (p=0.013), caries management (p=0.011), and multidisciplinary treatment planning (p=0.004). They had the lowest mean ranks in single-rooted (p=0.031) and multi-rooted endodontics (p=0.001) and crowns (p=0.006). Six of 26 professionalism and communication items differed significantly, all highest at LUMHS. Part A scores did not differ across institutions (p=0.165); Part B (p=0.020) and total scores (p=0.023) did, with LUMHS highest.
Conclusion: A CCC rotation was associated with higher self-perceived preparedness in selected items, and with lower self-perceived preparedness in endodontics and crowns. Because only one institution offered the CCC, institutional differences may explain part of these results. Further longitudinal and multi-center studies are recommended to determine the long-term educational impact of comprehensive care models within diverse dental training environments.
