Elements of a didactic program to teach an optional course on COVID-19 in dentistry

Abstract

Background: the pandemic caused by COVID-19 demands that future dental professionals acquire the necessary knowledge, always keeping in mind the student diversity, allowing them to contribute to the prevention and control of the disease.Objective: to describe elements of a didactic program to teach an optional course on COVID-19 in dentistry at the University of Medical Sciences of Las Tunas.Methods: a development research, mainly qualitative, was carried out at the aforementioned institution, during the month of May 2020. The object of study was the teaching-learning process in dentistry, taking into account the student diversity, and the field of action was the contents on COVID, to be taught in an optional course.Results: the syllabus included one general aim and four topics, all of them with a system of contents (aim, skills and values). As a methodological guidance it is recommended to begin with a biopsychosocial diagnosis of each student and of the group. The use of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) is suggested, as well as the semi-presence lesson type as the way to organize teaching.Conclusions: the elements of the didactic program designed to teach contents on COVID-19 by means of an optional course were described.

Keywords

• covid-19
• coronavirus infections
• dentists
• education, medical