Advancing Oral Health: A vision for dental education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Advancing Oral Health: A vision for dental education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

The project O-HEALTH-EDU aims to improve the management of oral health needs in European populations within the SDGs, through actions on dental education.

There are gaps in Europe, in terms of (a) quantities (b) equity (c) skill mix (d) performance between the current available oral health workforce and the future oral health needs of the populations. There is thus a need to transform the oral health workforce in order attain the Sustainable development goals (SDGs) for Health. Education of oral health professionals is an important aspect and better matching between health services and population needs could be obtained according to WHO by “Scaling up transformative, high-quality education and lifelong learning so that all health workers have skills that match the health needs of populations and can work to their full potential.”

In Europe, great variability is perceived between dental schools/programs within the same country or between countries. While most adhere to the principles of the consensus agreed competence approach the structure, conditions, content and modalities of delivery of dental education are very different from one place to another. Clinical formation is particularly questioned as some students might graduate without having had the opportunity to practice and acquire basic competencies that are necessary to ensure the security and health of patients.

This is an issue as European graduates can travel all over Europe with the mutual recognition of their qualifications. In EU, many students move from their native country to study dentistry abroad in universities that offer international programs. Young graduates also tend to move to EU countries where the conditions of practice are more favourable. There is thus, all over Europe, important migration flows of students and dentists. This might lead to inequities in the density of dentists with places underserved and others overcrowded where dentists might be unemployed.

The variability of the competencies of the dentists also might impact the oral health of patients with a risk of under, over or inadequate treatments depending of the situation. The convergence of competencies and quality standards at the international level must be improved. With the increase of migrating health workers, there is considerable potential to explore the development of “European transnational standards”, with an opportunity to work and upgrade their skills within CPD.

The EU directive that defines dental education in Europe is not precise enough nor up to date to allow a clear definition of dental education “standards”. It also does not integrate a competency based approach. Moreover, there are specific fields in the profile of competencies of the European dentist that need to be further defined. Those fields relate to Research, Sustainability and more.

The main objective of this project is to gain a validated and research grounded understanding of the realities of d and agenda. This project is driven by three overarching objectives:
• to provide a diagnosis of the current situation of dental education in Europe
• to enable a shared understanding and a common vision of Oral Health Professionals’ Education priorities for the future among all European stakeholders and policymakers
• to define priorities for a strategic vision and support changes for oral health professionals’ education in 2030.

Those strategic objectives will be reached through the production of 13 outputs that will help favour convergence and harmonization of the conditions and quality of dental education in the EU territory, thus promoting the quality of dental education in order that oral health professionals provide good quality health services by ensuring a better matching between dental graduates skills and the health needs of populations.

The consortium is constituted with 9 full Universities partners :
• UCA, Clermont-Ferrand, France (coordinator)
• University of Barcelona, Spain
• University of Paris Descartes, France
• University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
• Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
• University of Breschia, Italy
• Riga Stradins University, Latvia
• University of Malmö, Sweden
• Association for Dental European Education – ADEE, Dublin, Irland
and associated partners, who are stakeholders and actors of the Dental Profession.

Thanks to O-HEALTH-EDU project, European students, professionals and stakeholders will have a mutual understanding and a common vision of dental education, will be able to identify educational priorities so that future graduating dentists skills and competencies align with emerging oral health population needs.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 409990 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITE CLERMONT AUVERGNE & Country: FR

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
• RIGAS STRADINA UNIVERSITATE
• SEMMELWEIS EGYETEM
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BRESCIA
• THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
• MALMO UNIVERSITET
• Association for Dental Education In Europe