Can Undergraduate Dental Education be Online and Virtual During the COVID-19 Era? Clinical Training as a Crucial Element of Practical Competencies

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought ample challenges to clinical dental education all over the world. Dental schools had to adopt diverse strategies as a result of the exceptional circumstances, to provide a safe environment for their students, faculties, and patients. Despite the broad implementation of innovative educational tools in the form of blended learning, virtual reality simulators (VRS), and virtual learning environment, dental students expressed their willingness to restore on-site practical lessons, developing their clinical skills with patients' presence. It is believed that undergraduate dental education (UDE) during post COVID-19 pandemic lock-down might require substantial organisational changes, adequate adjustments of dental curricula and novel educational approaches in order to maintain a high level of UDE. This should be delivered by utilising the blended teaching methods, with core involvement of traditional clinical sessions and safety preventative measures arranged by dental faculties, allowing a safe return to dental schools for at least essential clinical sessions. This personal view aims to emphasis the need for re-establishment and continuity of crucial clinical and practical dental training during 'new normal' dental education era, as an integrated and unique element of UDE, which can be only partially substituted by online learning programs.

Keywords

• e-learning
• blended learning
• virtual reality simulation
• dental education
• COVID-19