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. 2022 Nov 16;22(1):794.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03864-z.

Dental pedagogy in the 'new normal' COVID-19 era: a transition template of teaching protocols

Nadia Khalifa  1 , Lakshman Samaranayake  2 , Kausar Sadia Fakhruddin  1
Affiliations

Dental pedagogy in the 'new normal' COVID-19 era: a transition template of teaching protocols

Nadia Khalifa et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Aims: Delivery of clinical dental education, as opposed to clinical medicine, is particularly challenging due to the obligatory aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) used in dentistry, which are known to facilitate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hence, using AGPs and working in close proximity to patients for extended periods in dental hospital/university settings with multiple teaching clinics have been a formidable prospect for all stake holders. Therefore, several professional and governmental organizations have promulgated variations of infection control guidelines for general practice dentistry in the pandemic era to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Materials and methods: In the absence of unified guidelines for modified infection control/clinical procedures for dental education. We implemented a clinical protocol template and modified operating procedures (MOP) for teaching clinical dentistry to fit the infection control requirements during the pandemic/post-pandemic period at the Sharjah University, College of Dentistry, UAE. MOPs ranged from various engineering control measures (e.g., negative-pressure ventilation systems in operatories) to administrative control measures featuring post-procedure fallow periods of treatment-abeyance between patient sessions.

Results: The new MOPs for clinical dentistry in the COVID-19 pandemic era, trialled in a UAE dental teaching hospital, have successfully eliminated infection transmission amongst the students, clinicians, ancillary staff, or attending patients, thus far.

Conclusions: The proposed MOPs that complement the standard operating protocols in clinical dentistry were an attempt to mitigate nosocomial infection transmission and protect four different groups of stakeholders, i) the patients, ii) the dental students, iii) the clinical academics, and iv) the para-dental personnel/assistants. Due to the endemicity of the COVID-19 in many regions of the World, the suggested MOPs need periodic review and revision, to fit the emerging data on the disease. Finally, as there are no studies to date comparing the relative efficacy of the MOPs in various dental academic institutions, there is an urgent need for future workers to address this issue.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clinical teaching; Dental pedagogy; Modified Operating Procedure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors of the present manuscript have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Nosocomial infection risk management framework recommended in a Dental Teaching Facility during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The configuration of clinic chairs during the pandemic
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Clinical training management, session distribution, and workflow before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Employed changes in the logistic management of the Dental school and Dental Teaching Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Different stages of COVID-19 pandemic – adapted educational measurements during the highly changing situations
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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