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Review
. 2018 Sep 17;16(1):48.
doi: 10.1186/s12960-018-0314-8.

Review and analysis of Chilean dental undergraduate education: curriculum composition and profiles of first year dental students

Renato E Venturelli Garay  1 , Richard G Watt  2
Affiliations
Review

Review and analysis of Chilean dental undergraduate education: curriculum composition and profiles of first year dental students

Renato E Venturelli Garay et al. Hum Resour Health. .

Abstract

Background: In Chile, dentistry has become a very popular career choice for students, which has resulted in a substantial increase in both, the number of dental graduates and dental schools. Nonetheless, there is a need for change in the way dental schools select and educate their students to keep pace with the rapidly changing nature of societal needs and to tackle the marked health inequalities that exist in the country. The aim of this study was to review and critique dental undergraduate education in Chile, with a particular focus on the curriculum composition and profiles of students admitted to dental schools from 2010 to 2014.

Methods: A descriptive and retrospective design was utilised. Two different methods were undertaken: primary data collection regarding curriculum and secondary data analysis in relation to students' profiles. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the relative proportions of subject modules within the undergraduate dental curriculum and in particular the public health components. The analysis of the student profiles described specific background factors, namely, gender, age, secondary school type, location, rural-urban status and student's year of admission. Also, trends of dental students' intake between 2010 and 2014 were investigated. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken to assess potential associations between the aforementioned background factors and students' choice of dental school.

Results: Regarding the curriculum review, a 67% response rate was obtained. The most dominant component of Chilean dental curriculum was the clinical subjects (33%), followed by the basic and biological sciences (16%) and then medical and dental sciences (13%). In relation to the admission of students, the majority attended private schools (72%); most were females (62%); aged 19 years or less (74%); had an urban origin (99%); and came from subsidised private secondary schools (48%). Significant differences were found between students admitted to traditional and private dental schools.

Conclusions: Clinical sciences are the most dominant subjects in the Chilean dental curriculum. Overall, traditional and private institutions had a broadly similar composition in their curriculum with the exception of the public health component. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were the minority in dental schools across Chile.

Keywords: Chilean dental education; Dental curriculum; Dental professionals; Dental students; Human resources for health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

In accordance with the UCL Ethical Exemptions criteria, it was agreed that this study was exempt from requiring ethics approval. The information utilised in this study was anonymised records and databases freely available to the public on request. Appropriate permissions were obtained when collecting data and no individuals can be identified from the information provided.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Relative proportion of “groups of modules” in traditional and private dental schools of Chile
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Distribution of dental public health sciences within Chilean dental curriculum
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Traditional and private dental schools’ recruitment of dental students from 2010 to 2014
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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