Building information literacy, critical thinking, and analytical skills assists future dental health care professionals in evaluating the quality and evidence for the vast amounts of information they encounter. How often as educators do we hear from our students that our course was difficult and challenging? Probably all the time! But how often do these same students say that the course was interesting, informative, interactive, and fun, meaning our students felt motivated and inspired by what and how we teach? Students may share with us that they thought homework readings were āvery helpfulā and that assignments were not a burden but instead āgreatā and āa nice getaway from the work done in class.ā1 To hear such responses from students is rewarding and encourages educators to continue enriching course curricula with new, innovative pedagogies. Ranging from a reading assignment from a popular newspaper or magazine on a current topic or adding an interactive online discussion, to re-envisioning and redesigning entire courses and bridging content from two or more disciplines, interdisciplinary (ID) educational innovations are meaningful and enriching for our students as they broaden the horizons of their discipline-specific knowledge. Among the long-term goals of most educators is the desire to promote lifelong learning. Arguably, nowhere is it more important to do this than in the health care professions. Indeed, ongoing learning is not only encouraged but also required and necessary for maintaining a license to practice medicine, nursing, dentistry, and dental hygiene, among other professions. The seeds for lifelong learning must be planted early in the studentās educational journey to introduce the wide variety of sources that are available, both within and outside professional resources. Specifically, for future dental professionals, establishing ID connections is significant as they become lifelong learners.2 Once graduated from a specific professional program with a relatively narrow sphere of subjects, professionals will experience inter- and multidisciplinary learning. In professional practice, learning is obtained from textbooks, professional and lay publications, social media, internet resources, and everyday interactions, conversations, and experiences.
The Function of ID Content in Health Professions Education
Research supports the importance of integrating ID content in the health care professions and the value of connecting discipline-specific knowledge and experiences to the world beyond the boundaries of professional education, including arts, physical sciences, history, anthropology, and contemporary issues.3 Besides promoting the development of critical thinking skills, studies credit integration of humanities into health sciences education with fostering empathy and cultural competence.4 While most evidence comes from medical programs where humanities, arts, and research have been successfully incorporated into studentsā experiences, there are notable examples from social work and dental programs.5 Opportunities to enrich studentsā educational experiences are abundant and ID content can be incorporated into didactic and clinical courses through lectures, laboratory sessions, and student assignments using sources such as popular media (TV, newspapers), literature, theater, and art exhibitions. The benefits of such an approach can be examined and confirmed by evaluating student feedback in formal research surveys, studentsā evaluations of teaching, and informal studentsā comments and reflections.
What better reward as educators can we receive than comments from students: āThankful for all that Iām taking with me into the real worldā and āI was inspired and my eyes opened widely into the field of dental hygiene thanks to this course.ā? This student feedback, noted here, is especially appreciated because it was offered as optional comments in a survey focused primarily on assessment in dental hygiene courses (oral anatomy), and not specifically targeting the evaluation of ID content. These comments, therefore, may be illustrative of the studentsā understanding and appreciation of the subject of oral anatomy and its breadth. Not limited to the subject of the anatomy of the head and neck and the oral cavity, virtually every course in the dental hygiene curriculum can be enriched by various-scale ID content in homework assignments, class activities, and online discussions. Further in this chapter, examples from pharmacology and principles of dental hygiene courses, oral anatomy projects, as well as examples from integrated biomedical sciences courses are provided and discussed.
Aligning Discipline-Specific, General Education, and ID Education Goals
Dental and allied dental education programs (including dental hygiene programs) are monitored and accredited by the American Dental Associationās Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA). Accreditation ensures that programs maintain standards for preparing graduates for entry into professional practice.
CODA Standards and Requirements for Dental Education Programs
CODA sets out the minimum standards that are expected of an accredited dental education program. According to the CODA Accreditation Standards for Dental Education Programs, the learning experiences of the students provide a pathway to professional competence and āblend the various dimensions of competency into an integrated performance for the benefit of the patient.ā6 Critical thinking is viewed as a fundamental component of the learning environment. In addition, scientific discovery and integration of knowledge are considered core principles of the educational environment and it is noted that ālearning objectives that cut across traditional disciplines and correlate with the expected competencies of graduates enhance curriculum design. Beyond the acquisition of scientific knowledge at a particular point in time, the capacity to think scientifically and to apply the scientific method is critical if students are to analyze and solve oral health problems, understand research, and practice evidence-based dentistry.ā7 Collaboration with professionals across fields is also stressed; health care professionals should be āeducated to deliver patient-centered care as members of an ID team,ā8 which can present a challenge for educational programs. Emphasis on the importance of ID activities is supported by the following CODA standards: Standard 1.9, āThe dental school must show evidence of interaction with other components of the higher education, health care education and/or health care delivery systemsā; Standard 2.7, āBiomedical, behavioral and clinical science instruction must be integrated and of sufficient depth, scope, timeliness, quality, and emphasis to ensure achievement of the curriculumās defined competenciesā; Standard 2.11, āBiomedical science instruction in dental education must ensure an in-depth understanding of basic biological principles, consisting of a core of information on the fundamental structures, functions, and interrelationships of the body systems.ā9
Integrated National Board Examination (INBDE)
In addition to evolving CODA requirements, in 2020 all dental students wishing to practice dentistry in the United States must participate in one Integrated National Board Dental Examination instead of the traditional two-part National Board Examination (NBDE) challenged by dental practitioners up until this point. Whereas the traditional NBDE split the biomedical and clinical sciences into Parts 1 and 2, the integrated exam is ID in nature and combines biomedical, clinical, and behavior sciences. Duong et al. found that many dental schools have undergone extensive curricular changes in anticipation of the new examination to ensure that students are prepared. Strategies include ID cases and case-based learning within current courses, online modules bridging content from multiple disciplines, revision of institutional competency statements, and, in some cases, the complete restructuring of courses to be more ID in nature.10
Evolving Dental Curricula and the Case for ID Education
With the current emphasis on the integration of clinical and biomedical sciences within dental education, many institutions have undergone extensive curricular reform to remove siloed, discipline-based courses and replace them with ID curricula that organize around organ systems or other unified themes.11 There are several areas of focus in dental education that are driving this push for ID approaches: caring for specific populations of patients such as geriatric patients or other patients with special needs, diagnosis and treatment of patients with multifactorial, complex diseases (for example, diabetes or hypertension), managing acute and chronic pain, and working as part of an ID health care team. The changing role of the dentist inpatient care, the dentistās participation as part of an interprofessional team, and the increasing recognition of the importance of oral health for overall systemic health necessitate a broader base of knowledge for trainees that includes perspectives beyond the traditional scope of dentistry. ID education that brings together content from various dental specialties, a common practice in postgraduate dental education, is essential, but dental educators must also ensure that students understand how they will coordinate with other health professionals to ensure continuous and reliable health care for patients, increase the quality and safety of patient care, and develop novel approaches to prevention, treatment, and management of complex diseases.
CODA Standards and Requirements for Dental Hygiene Programs
In dental hygiene, CODA describes the standards for pre-clinical and clinical curricula, including general, biomedical, dental sciences, and dental hygiene science.12 Additionally, more detailed guidance to programs is provided by the American Dental Education Association.13 In general education, effective oral and written communication, sociology, and psychology are emphasized,14 and biomedical studies instruction (e.g., anatomy, physiology, immunology, pharmacology) provides students with the foundational knowledge of body systems and their interrelationships.15 Communication and collaboration with other hea...