STOMATOLOGY EDU JOURNAL 2017, Volume 4, Issue 2 2 | Page 14

Editorials

A Greater Uniformity in the Continuing Education Program of the European Community Dental Practitioner

Marian-Vladimir Constantinescu DDS , PhD , Professor
Editor-in-Chief
Dear Readers ,
Man evolved by observing , learning from the environment and other humans , shaping his intellect , and being in a permanent war with anything and anyone who stood in the way of his decision to find his identity . When we decided to be of use to those around us , and to help our fellow humans , in dealing with diverse medical-dental conditions , in particular , the “ oral cavity ”, we did it even though perhaps we did not wonder , as the Chinese philosopher Confucius ( 551 BC-479 BC ) did , about the “ pleasure of studying and then practice what we had learned ”. We are , however , in agreement with Aristotle ( 384 BC-322 BC ), the Greek philosopher , who proclaimed , “ Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work ”. We did find out much later from thinkers like Dr . Greene Vardiman Black ( 1836-1915 ) that : “ The professional man has no right to be other than a perennial scholar ”. With these ideals in mind , we strived to learn , improve , and practice as much as possible , before being able to offer our patients the best we could , while facing the realities of a “ free labor market ”. The General Assembly of the Association for Dental Education in Europe , at its annual meeting held in Cardiff , in September 2004 , approved “ the profile and competences for the European Dentist ”. The document would assist dental schools in Europe , to further harmonize and improve the quality of their curricula . Also , it established norms and regulations meant to describe the competency of the European dental professional : I Professionalism ; II Interpersonal , Communication and Social Skills ; III Knowledge Base , Information and Information literacy ; IV Clinical Information Gathering ; V Diagnosis and Treatment Planning ; VI Therapy : Establishing and Maintaining Oral Health ; VII Prevention and Health Promotion . The Association for Dental Education in Europe ( ADEE ), through a group of dental educators , mainly from ( ADEE ), has been vigorously pursuing the objectives set out in the third phase of the DentEd III project ( 2004-2007 ). The plan was designed to facilitate convergence towards higher standards in dental education and professional training , and outlined to promote , through its working groups , the commonly agreed profile of the European Dentist . ADEE was best placed to implement in the European Union Member States :
• The development of an agreed approach on competences and curriculum structure .
• The development of an agreed approach to the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System ( ECTS ). In 2008 , the American Dental Education Association ( ADEA ) 1 , and the ADEA House of Delegates , established the general dentist as the primary oral health care provider nationally , and defined the areas of competence for the dental professional : 1 . Critical Thinking ; 2 . Professionalism ; 3 . Communication and Interpersonal Skills ; 4 . Health Promotion ; 5 . Practice Management and Informatics ; 6 . Patient Care : A . Assessment , Diagnosis , and Treatment Planning ; B . Establishment and Maintenance of Oral Health . To arrive at this profile during the learning and evaluation process in dental medicine , it was necessary to introduce first a problem-based learning ( PBL ) curriculum , and the “ MEDICOL ( Medicine and Dentistry Integrated Curriculum Online ) system ” was chosen as a standard . MEDICOL , a system used at The University of British Columbia , is a tool that provides

84 Stoma Edu J . 2017 ; 4 ( 2 ): 84-85 http :// www . stomaeduj . com