A study on the Korean dental education system II: the need for integrated education system / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

Objectives@#With the rapid changes in society, there are more arguments for redefining dental education system. This study aimed to review and analyze the problems in the current dental education system in Korea and then propose an integrated education system based on those findings. @*Methods@#A narrative review of the problems confronting the dental education system in Korea was carried out. Accordingly, full-text screening and specialists’ discussions were extracted from the review. The purpose of the review was to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of Korean dental education systems to offer perspectives on an integrated education system in accordance with the specialists’ opinions. @*Results@#The results revealed that the problems of the current dental education system were identified in clinical education, basic science, and humanities and social sciences. Dental schools should provide clinical education so that dental students can be exposed to the clinical environment at an early stage and perform patient-based clinical practice. It is also imperative to encourage participation in research programs to train dental scientists, as well as to reflect on courses that can adapt to changes brought about by new technologies. It is recommended that education opportunities for integrated humanities and social sciences be provided. @*Conclusions@#It will be critical in the future for dental schools to embrace a flexible education system from various perspectives. It is vital that dental schools play a role in developing students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Finally, as part of an integrated education system, an improvement program should be devised.