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Dental Education in a Flat World: Advocating for Increased Global Collaboration and Standardization
Author(s) -
Donaldson Martin E.,
GadburyAmyot Cynthia C.,
Khajotia Sharukh S.,
Nattestad Anders,
Norton Neil S.,
Zubiaurre Laureen A.,
Turner Sharon P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2008.72.4.tb04506.x
Subject(s) - licensure , accreditation , dental education , globalization , standardization , position (finance) , political science , global health , position paper , public relations , medicine , medical education , health care , business , law , finance , pathology
Globalization is a broad term referring to the increasing connectivity, integration, and interdependence of economies, societies, technologies, cultures, and political and ecological spheres across the world. This position paper was developed by a working group of the 2007 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute. The authors explore the effect that globalization has had on dentistry and dental education to date and hypothesize what dental education could look like in the years ahead. While the paper is written from a North American perspective, some of the authors bring international expertise and experience to the topic of global dental education in a flat world. Specific issues and barriers addressed in this position paper include variations in accreditation and licensure requirements in dental education throughout the world; the historical development of dental education models (odontology and stomatology) and the need for congruency of these models in the global environment; the competency‐based model of education and its relevance to development and implementation of global dental competencies; and the slow adoption of technological advances in dental education for promoting collaborations and encouraging resource sharing among countries. These challenges are discussed as they affect the implementation of a standardized global dental education that can lead to improved access to oral health care services and better oral and overall health for the citizens of the world.