approach for developing integrated undergraduate medical curriculum

Background and Objectives: Medical schools are to develop integrated medical curricula because the term ''integrated curriculum'' has grown up and flourished globally and it has become mandatory to align the medical education with the global concept in Pakistan. This paper aims to present a guideline to design an undergraduate integrated medical curriculum

Methods: Various themes are used to develop integrated curriculum which are basic medical science, simulation skills, clinical science, personality development, research, entrepreneurship and pre specialization. Each theme is subdivided, termed a module and its contents primarily focus on particular aspect

Results: Knowledge, skill and attitude, embodied in themes or modules, are planted in specific way that they have horizontal as well as vertical integration. There is no boundary of various traditional disciplines in template of five year curriculum. For example, diagnosis is a theme which carries contents from medicine, surgery, orthopedics etc

Conclusion: The blueprint introduced in this paper would help medical educators to draft integrated medical curricula for those institutions which intend to switch their medical programs from traditional to integrated one

Comparison of the learning of two notations: a pilot study

Introduction: MICAP is a new notation in which the teeth are indicated by letters [I-incisor, C-canine, P-premolar, M-molar] and numbers [1,2,3] which are written superscript and subscript on the relevant letters. FDI tooth notation is a two digit system where one digit shows quadrant and the second one shows the tooth of the quadrant. This study aimed to compare the short term retention of knowledge of two notation systems [FDI two digit system and MICAP notation] by lecture method

Methods: Undergraduate students [N=80] of three schools participated in a cross-over study. Two theory-driven classroom based lectures on MICAP notation and FDI notation were delivered separately. Data were collected using eight randomly selected permanent teeth to be written in MICAP format and FDI format at pretest [before the lecture], post-test I [immediately after lecture] and post-test II [one week after the lecture]. Analysis was done by SPSS version 20.0 using repeated measures ANCOVA and independent t-test

Results: The results of pre-test and post-test I were similar for FDI education. Similar results were found between post-test I and post-test II for MICAP and FDI notations

Conclusion: The study findings indicated that the two notations [FDI and MICAP] were equally mind cognitive. However, the sample size used in this study may not reflect the global scenario. Therefore, we suggest more studies to be performed for prospective adaptation of MICAP in dental curriculum

An unusual case of chronic suppurative osteomyelitis of the mandible

Osteomyelitis of the mandible, a serious complication of untreated odontogenic infection has been reported. This case report describes an interesting presentation of chronic suppurative osteomyelitis (CSO) of the mandible in a 13 years old anaemic male patient. Investigations revealed inversion of his permanent teeth leading to trans-cutaneous extra-oral eruption along with marked destruction of mandible on the affected side. The treatment included a pre surgical course of antibiotics followed by the removal of the retained second premolar tooth, surgical debridement of the affected bone, and resection of the cutaneous sinus tract. The post-operative healing was uneventful. A combination of antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement were effective in the treatment of chronic suppurative osteomyelitis.

Radiotherapy complications and preventive measures in oral cancer

Oral complications of radiotherapy are the result of the deleterious effects of radiation in the head and neck region. The clinical consequences of radiotherapy include mucositis, hyposalivation, taste loss, osteoradionecrosis, radiation caries, and trismus. Mucositis and taste loss are reversible consequences and usually subside early post-irradiation, while hyposalivation is normally irreversible. Furthermore, the risk of developing radiation caries and osteoradionecrosis is a life-long threat. All these consequences form a heavy burden for the patients and have a tremendous impact on their quality of life during and after radiotherapy. In this review, the radiation-induced changes in healthy oral tissues and preventive measures for the resulting clinical consequences are discussed to give understanding of health care givers for better well being of oral cancer patients