Introduction Dental education was brought to a halt with the emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). Traditional dental education comprised students working closely with instructors in a clinical laboratory setting; however, public health precautions necessitated a shift to a virtual learning platform. A scoping review of dental education practices since the start of the pandemic will help to understand approaches instructors have taken to provide dental education during this unprecedented time and suggest future applications of virtual learning in dental education. Methods We performed an exhaustive scoping literature search of primary peer‐reviewed intervention articles published between December 2019 and April 2021 using the following databases: Academic Search Premier, Cochrane Library, Embase, ERIC, LitCovid, MedEdPortal, MedRxiv, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. The selection process included two independent reviewers through each phase of review. Articles were categorized and analyzed by domain. Results A total of 629 articles were identified; after titles and abstracts were reviewed, 66 articles were selected for full‐text review. Following full‐text review, 41 articles met eligibility criteria and comprised our study sample. Articles were arranged within domains of assessment, instruction, instructional technology, and software. The advantages to online dental education included improved accessibility, willingness to accept new assessment techniques, and lower anxiety levels. Barriers included problems with technology, classroom time management, lack of student interaction, and absence of hands‐on training. Conclusion Evidence suggests emerging best practices in dental education during COVID‐19, and recommendations for the future of virtual and distance learning in dental education.

For the Fall 2020 semester, the University of New Haven (UNewHaven) joined over a third of colleges and universities across the country in offering in-person courses and reopening its campus. Allowing the campus community to safely return was a challenging endeavor, particularly for those at the University’s School of Health Sciences, which offers both non-clinical and clinical courses. In order to create learning environments that adhered to continuously-changing guidelines, our team at the School of Health Sciences was forced to develop and implement innovative strategies. In this article, we share our experiences in fulfilling our roles as faculty, staff, and students at a School of Health Sciences offering in-person, non-clinical and clinical courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We reflect upon our challenges and share the lessons learned, which we hope will serve as guidance for our collective community in higher education, including those working within schools of public health and health sciences. Our lessons learned are presented in following three themes: 1) preparation for in-person classes; 2) the emotional state of faculty, staff, and students; and 3) innovative practices. Should colleges and universities ever find themselves in similar, yet unprecedented times, our lessons and recommendations may serve as a starting point to assist them in navigating through such tumultuous moments.