Biomedical courses should also be designed for dental students: The perceptions of dental students

Abstract

Introduction: It can be challenging integrating biomedical sciences into dentistry programs. The aim was to examine students’ perceptions of how joint biomedical courses with medical students and courses tailored for dental students supported their clinical studies. Materials and methods: The target group was clinical phase dental students. Cross-sectional survey data were collected using a questionnaire, which consisted of questions covering biomedical and clinical study content and learning methods. Results: A total of 110 (82%) students completed the survey. Students had difficulty recognising the relevance of joint biomedical courses for clinical work, but when the link was clear, their interest in the content increased. The closer the respondents were to graduation, the less relevance they expressed the biomedical sciences had. Almost all students (95%) wanted more dental content for the early study years. Discussion: The student perspective provides valuable information for the development of biomedical courses. Students should be offered customised courses that include dental content and perspectives on clinical work, whenever suitable to the didactic content of the basic science course. Our study shows that the dental perspective needs greater integration with the biomedical content. This also supports interprofessional learning and appreciation for the other field’s contribution to human health.