Preparing dental students for independent practice:a scoping review of methods and trends in undergraduate clinical skills teaching in the UK and Ireland

Introduction The governing bodies for dentistry in the UK and Ireland require dentists, at graduation, to possess the knowledge, skills and attributes which enable them to practise safely, without supervision. The means by which dental schools achieve this may differ and may undergo modification in response to changes in the expectations of governing bodies and challenges within the teaching environment. It is therefore important to identify which of these approaches works well and to disseminate good practice described in the literature. Objectives To use a scoping review to identify from the published literature the methods used to teach clinical dental skills, including innovations, motivations for changes, and factors affecting the delivery and quality of teaching. Method Scoping review methodology was used to select and analyse 57 articles published between 2008 and 2018. Results Innovations in didactic teaching were facilitated by advances in IT and development of virtual learning environments, which promoted independent, self-directed learning. Pre-clinical practical teaching took place in clinical techniques laboratories utilising mannequin heads, with a minority of dental schools using virtual reality simulators in addition. Clinical experience was gained mainly in multi-disciplinary clinics and offsite outreach teaching centres. Insufficient numbers of suitable patients, increasing student numbers and a fall in teaching staff contributed to a reported reduction in clinical experience of certain treatments. Conclusions Contemporary clinical dental skills teaching produces new graduates who possess excellent theoretical knowledge, are prepared and confident in basic clinical skills, but are lacking in experience of complex treatments which may result in a reduced preparedness for independent practice.