C.E. Credit. Global Health in Dental Education: Establishing a Framework for Global Health Engagement Among Future Dental Practitioners

ABSTRACT

Background

The COVID-19 Pandemic highlighted global health inequities, put a pause on short-term experiences in global health (STEGH’s), and emphasized new virtual modalities of international collaboration. In light of these new modes of collaboration, this article will reflect on and suggest changes to the current landscape of global health education in US dental schools.

Results

The authors suggest that existing global oral health engagements, which are predominantly STEGH’s, can be improved through adherence to guiding principles, such as those of the Brocher Declaration. Further, the authors argue that implementing global health didactics and internationalization of education into dental school curriculums would more optimally prepare students for participation in global health.

Conclusions

In summary, a shift in the introductory global health educational modality in dentistry, from the current STEGH-dominated model to a combination of formal didactics, internationalized education, and collaborative, sustainable, and interprofessional clinical experiences would strengthen both the future of global oral health and the field of dentistry altogether.

Continuing Education Credit Available

The practice worksheet is available online in the supplemental material tab for this article. A CDA Continuing Education quiz is online for this article: https://www.cdapresents360.com/learn/catalog/view/20.

KEYWORDS:

• World health
• teaching
• teaching materials
• global health
• oral health
• internationalization of dental education

Acknowledgments

Dr. Brittany Seymour for her expert teaching and guidance in the generation of this perspective piece

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19424396.2024.2330583

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Noah Brady

Noah Brady, BS, is a fourth year DMD student at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He will be entering residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN starting in July of 2024.

Rachel Utomo

Rachel Utomo, BA, is a fourth year DDS candidate at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. She is an international student from Indonesia and will be working as a general dentist after graduation.

Aiysha Amjad

Aiysha Amjad, BS, is a second year DMD student at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine with interests in oral and maxillofacial surgery and global health.

Anette Wu

Anette Wu, MD, MPH, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. Dr. Wu was trained in Transplantation and General Surgery in Hannover, Germany and at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University in Boston, MA. USA. Her current research interest is in educational research in internationalization of medical education, and she is the director of the “International Collaboration and Exchange Program” at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.