Developing implant dentistry education in Europe: the continuum from undergraduate to postgraduate education and continuing professional development

Abstract

Introduction: Implant dentistry is a treatment modality which has mainstream clinical practice of comprehensive care, which however is not adequately represented in the undergraduate dental curricula. A consensus workshop organised by ADEE in 2008, set the benchmarks for the knowledge and competences a modern dental practitioner must possess with regard to implant dentistry, as well as defined undergraduate and postgraduate pathways for the acquisition of these competences. Today, 5 years later, there exist several challenges for the implementation of these benchmarks in both undergraduate curricula but also post-graduation educational pathways.

Evaluation of the implant‐related restorative undergraduate programme at ACTA, the Netherlands. Part I: students' satisfaction

“…Also, Kroeplin and Strub (7) found, based on previous studies (6,13), that the percentage of universities that included implant dentistry has increased throughout the years. However, a recent survey by Mattheos et al (16) shows that the benchmarks stated by the ADEE workshop in 2008 are not achieved today. Also, this workshop in 2013 shows that the diversity between undergraduate implant programmes worldwide remains as large as it was in 2008.…”

A global perspective on implant education: Cluster analysis of the “first dental implant experience” of dentists from 84 nationalities

“…6 Inevitably and in parallel with the expansion of implant dentistry, the need for standardised and structured implant dentistry education has been recognised through global consensus amongst clinicians, researchers and educators. [7][8][9][10][11] Pathways for competency development in the practice of implant dentistry are diverse and vary significantly across the world.…”

“…The resultant multiplicity of professional stakeholders, along with a perceived high commercial value, may have together contributed to a rather unregulated surge, where actual implant practice has by far outpaced formal University-based training. 9 This gap has until recently been largely filled by informal, short-term, unstructured and often industry-initiated educational opportunities. 20 In addition, these developments have occurred in a broader context of the fast-changing landscape of dentistry at the global level.…”

Self‐regulated learning strategies in world's first MOOC in implant dentistry

“…The teaching of Implant Dentistry in the undergraduate curricula is limited, and it varies significantly between regions and institutions, with universities having many difficulties to adequately implement it. 7,8 As a result, the majority of dental graduates worldwide start their careers with a very limited understanding of dental implants as part of comprehensive care. Even long-practicing dentists who were never taught implant dentistry in their curricula have little opportunity to reach flexible, quality-assured and unbiased education in this discipline.…”