Ramírez-Amador V, Anaya-Saavedra G, Petti S, Lara-Flores N, Aranda-Romo S, Cruz-Monroy E, Muela-Campos D, Nava-Villalba M, Ocampo-Acosta F, Pulido-Díaz K, Rumayor-Piña A. Oral cancer and precancer in Oral Pathology and Medicine curricula of Mexican dental schools.
Oral Dis 2023. [PMID:
37265065 DOI:
10.1111/odi.14639]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To identify the teaching-learning process characteristics of Oral Pathology and Medicine (OP&M) related to oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral cancer (OC), in the dental schools' curricula in Mexico, to analyze the approach given to this topic worldwide, and to provide the possible solution strategies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Questionnaires were sent to OP&M deans and professors from public Mexican Universities to explore the curriculum and academic profile of the dental schools. The recommendations gathered from a workshop with expert professors on the challenges in OPMD/OC teaching were reported.
RESULTS
Twenty-two dental schools participated (22 deans, 30 professors). The most widely used strategies were clinical-case resolving (86%) and presentations (73%). Although 77.3% of the programs included maxillofacial lesions, only 40.9% contemplated OPMD/OC. Only 45% of the programs developed community activities for early OC detection. The workshop recommendations were (i) multidisciplinary approach to OPMD/OC teaching, involving OP&M professors in other dental and nondental courses; (ii) implementation of the most effective teaching techniques (currently, problem-based learning and clinical-case presentation) in OP&M curricula; (iii) education of OP&M professors on teaching-learning processes.
CONCLUSIONS
These recommendations from the Mexican context, integrated with similar experiences from other countries could contribute to develop a unique, internationally acknowledged OP&M curriculum.
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