Clinical Relevance Of Physiology Objectives In Dental Practice

Abstract

Background: TThe close association of physiology with clinical medicine is highlighted in the preclinical years, and also in hospital practice later. Integration of basic sciences with clinical training is remarkably challenging for the dental curriculum. Many medical and dental schools have modified their preclinical curricula to signify the relevance of basic science to practice. Since its inception, Ziauddin Dental College has introduced guide books. They are comprised of the learning objectives for each integrated module. The objective of this study is to determine the clinical relevance of Physiology objectives in Dental practice. Methods: The learning objectives of Physiology from three modules were given to 22 House officers from the field of Dentistry. The questionnaire included the learning objectives taken from the guide book and the participants were asked to determine the clinical relevance of objectives on Likert scale from 1 to 5. Results: Out of 38 Physiology objectives from three modules marked by House officers, 30 (79%) were determined as highly relevant and 8 (21%) as moderately relevant. Conclusion: The Physiology learning objectives of Respiratory, Cardiovascular and Hemopoietic & Immune system, taught at ZDC were found to have a high clinical relevance. Key Words: Physiology objectives, Dental Practice, Clinical relevance