Subscribe to RSS

DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1804505
Implementing and Evaluating Interprofessional Education for Dental Students: A Narrative Review

Abstract
Interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaborative practice are widely recognized for improving health care education and patient outcomes, especially in dentistry. Due to the strong link between oral and overall health, integrating IPE into dental curricula is essential for preparing practitioners to deliver collaborative, patient-centered care. A robust IPE curriculum for dental students requires well-defined learning outcomes aligned with other health professions and a focus on skills like patient care, communication, and teamwork. This review examines IPE curriculum design, implementation, and its impact on dental students, evaluating both short- and long-term effects on skills and career preparedness. By analyzing current IPE practices, this review seeks to illuminate effective strategies and future directions for integrating interprofessional collaboration into dental training.
Publication History
Article published online:
13 March 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India
-
References
- 1 Barr H, Koppel I, Reeves S, Hammick M, Freeth DS. Effective Interprofessional Education: Argument, Assumption and Evidence (Promoting Partnership for Health). Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons; 2008
- 2 Valachovic RW. Integrating oral and overall health care: building a foundation for interprofessional education and collaborative practice. J Dent Educ 2019; 83 (02) S19-S22
- 3 Andrews EA. The future of interprofessional education and practice for dentists and dental education. J Dent Educ 2017; 81 (08) eS186-eS192
- 4 Contreas OA, Stewart D, Stewart J, Valachovic RW. ADEA Policy Brief: Interprofessional education and practice-an imperative to optimize and advance oral and overall health. American Dental Education Association; 2018. Accessed September 1, 2024; available at: https://www.adea.org/policy/publications/ipe/
- 5 Wanchek T, Cook BJ, Valachovic RW. Annual ADEA survey of dental school seniors: 2016 graduating class. J Dent Educ 2017; 81 (05) 613-630
- 6 Zwarenstein M, Goldman J, Reeves S. Interprofessional collaboration. Interprofessional collaboration: effects of practice-based interventions on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009; (03) CD000072
- 7 Lapkin S, Levett-Jones T, Gilligan C. A systematic review of the effectiveness of interprofessional education in health professional programs. Nurse Educ Today 2013; 33 (02) 90-102
- 8 Witti MJ, Zottmann JM, Wershofen B, Thistlethwaite JE, Fischer F, Fischer MR. FINCA - a conceptual framework to improve interprofessional collaboration in health education and care. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10: 1213300
- 9 Alqutaibi AY, Awad R, Rahhal MM, Zafar MS. Interprofessional education in Saudi Arabia: a call to action. Eur J Dent 2024; 18 (04) 963-964
- 10 Noureddine N, Hagge DK, Brady D, Ofstad W. Interprofessional education: the CA-IPERA model for learning. Int J Nurs Clin Pract 2016; 3 (197) 2
- 11 O'Keefe M, Henderson A, Chick R. Defining a set of common interprofessional learning competencies for health profession students. Med Teach 2017; 39 (05) 463-468
- 12 Dhillon H, Chaudhari PK, Dhingra K. et al. Current applications of artificial intelligence in cleft care: a scoping review. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8: 676490
- 13 Mullett SA. Interactions and Values in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice for Athletic Trainers: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Interprofessional Competency in Employment Settings. Ohio, United States: Kent State University; 2024
- 14 Buring SM, Bhushan A, Broeseker A. et al. Interprofessional education: definitions, student competencies, and guidelines for implementation. Am J Pharm Educ 2009; 73 (04) 59
- 15 Palatta A, Cook BJ, Anderson EL, Valachovic RW. 20 years beyond the crossroads: the path to interprofessional education at U.S. dental schools. J Dent Educ 2015; 79 (08) 982-996
- 16 Formicola AJ, Andrieu SC, Buchanan JA. et al. Interprofessional education in U.S. and Canadian dental schools: an ADEA Team Study Group report. J Dent Educ 2012; 76 (09) 1250-1268
- 17 Lash DB, Barnett MJ, Parekh N, Shieh A, Louie MC, Tang TT. Perceived benefits and challenges of interprofessional education based on a multidisciplinary faculty member survey. Am J Pharm Educ 2014; 78 (10) 180
- 18 Howey ML, Yoon MN. Insights in interprofessional education: dental hygiene students' suggestions for collaboration. Can J Dent Hyg 2022; 56 (01) 9-21
- 19 Davis JM, Janczukowicz J, Stewart J, Quinn B, Feldman CA. Interprofessional education in dental education: an international perspective. Eur J Dent Educ 2018; 22 (Suppl. 01) 10-16
- 20 Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education; Board on Global Health; Institute of Medicine. Interprofessional Education for Collaboration: Learning How to Improve Health from Interprofessional Models Across the Continuum of Education to Practice: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Oct 3. PMID: 24901189.
- 21 Partecke M, Balzer C, Finkenzeller I. et al. Interprofessional learning - development and implementation of joint medical emergency team trainings for medical and nursing students at Universitätsmedizin Greifswald. GMS J Med Educ 2016; 33 (02) Doc32
- 22 Victoroff K, Savrin C, Demko C, Iannadrea J, Freudenberger S, Musacchio C. Interprofessional clinical experiences in dental education. Current Oral Health Reports 2014; 1: 161-166
- 23 Azzam M, Puvirajah A. Situating interprofessional education curriculum within a theoretical framework for productive engaged learning: integrating epistemology, theory, and competencies. J Res Interprof Pract Educ 2024; 14 (01) 1-15
- 24 Azzam MB. Systemic, Institutional, and Teaching Factors in the Delivery of Interprofessional Education Curriculum in Canada. The University of Western Ontario (London, Canada); 2023
- 25 Wener P, Woodgate RL. Collaborating in the context of co-location: a grounded theory study. BMC Fam Pract 2016; 17: 30
- 26 Zerden LS. , et al , Interprofessional collaboration. An evaluation of social work students' skills and experiences in integrated health care. J Soc Work Educ 2021; 57 (04) 758-770
- 27 Eggenberger T, Millender E, Drowos J, France NE. Interprofessional education and practice guide: developing interprofessional community-based clinical experiences. Cogent Med 2019; 6 (01) 1676582
- 28 Weinstein AR, Dolce MC, Koster M. et al. Integration of systematic clinical interprofessional training in a student-faculty collaborative primary care practice. J Interprof Care 2018; 32 (01) 104-107
- 29 Reeves S, Pelone F, Harrison R, Goldman J, Zwarenstein M. Interprofessional collaboration to improve professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 6 (06) CD000072
- 30 Furgeson D, Inglehart MR. Interprofessional education in U.S. dental hygiene programs: program director responses before and after introduction of CODA Standard 2-15. J Dent Educ 2019; 83 (01) 5-15
- 31 Mohammed CA, Anand R, Saleena Ummer V. Interprofessional education (IPE): a framework for introducing teamwork and collaboration in health professions curriculum. Med J Armed Forces India 2021; 77 (Suppl. 01) S16-S21
- 32 Gilbert JH, Yan J, Hoffman SJ. A WHO report: framework for action on interprofessional education and collaborative practice. J Allied Health 2010; 39 (Suppl. 01) 196-197
- 33 Wang Z, Feng F, Gao S, Yang J. A systematic meta-analysis of the effect of interprofessional education on health professions students' attitudes. J Dent Educ 2019; 83 (12) 1361-1369
- 34 Mays KA. Designing oral health curriculum that facilitates greater integration of oral health into overall health. Front Dent Med 2021; 2: 680520
- 35 Skinner K, Rahhal M, Smith K, Higgins B. Breaking silos, building collaboration: a case study of interprofessional education. J Dent Educ 2024.
- 36 Numasawa M, Nawa N, Funakoshi Y. et al. A mixed methods study on the readiness of dental, medical, and nursing students for interprofessional learning. PLoS One 2021; 16 (07) e0255086
- 37 Tabrizi M, Lee WC. A pilot study of an interprofessional program involving dental, medical, nursing, and pharmacy students. Front Public Health 2020; 8: 602957
- 38 Ramos-Gomez F, Kinsler JJ, Askaryar H, Verzemnieks I, Garell C. Evaluation of an interprofessional education program in pediatric dentistry, medicine, and nursing. J Dent Educ 2021; 85 (07) 1228-1237
- 39 Interprofessional education Collaborative. Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. 2016. . Accessed January 01, 2025; available at: https://ipec.memberclicks.net/assets/2016-Update.pdf
- 40 Allodi M. The meaning of social climate of learning environments: some reasons why we do not care enough about it. Learn Environ Res 2010; 13: 89-104
- 41 Rogers GD, Thistlethwaite JE, Anderson ES. et al. International consensus statement on the assessment of interprofessional learning outcomes. Med Teach 2017; 39 (04) 347-359
- 42 Buring SM, Bhushan A, Brazeau G, Conway S, Hansen L, Westberg S. Keys to successful implementation of interprofessional education: learning location, faculty development, and curricular themes. Am J Pharm Educ 2009; 73 (04) 60
- 43 Ruiz MG, Ezer H, Purden M. Exploring the nature of facilitating interprofessional learning: findings from an exploratory study. J Interprof Care 2013; 27 (06) 489-495
- 44 Wilder RS, O'Donnell JA, Barry JM. et al. Is dentistry at risk? A case for interprofessional education. J Dent Educ 2008; 72 (11) 1231-1237
- 45 Cole II JR, Dodge WW, Findley JS. et al. Interprofessional collaborative practice: how could dentistry participate?. J Dent Educ 2018; 82 (05) 441-445
- 46 Wood M, Gurenlian J, Freudenthal J, Cartwright E. Interprofessional health care delivery: perceptions of oral health care integration in a Federally Qualified Health Center. J Dent Hyg 2020; 94 (06) 49-55
- 47 Alqutaibi AY, Hamadallah HH, Oqbi HF, Almuzaini SA, Borzangy S. Current applications and future perspective of virtual reality in dental education and practice in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review. Saudi Dent J 2024; 36 (11) 1406-1416
- 48 Chavis SE, Anagnostopoulos-King FV, Syme SL, Varlotta S, Noonan KE, Congdon HB. In-person to virtual interprofessional education: teamwork attitudes and skills among dental and dental hygiene students. J Dent Educ 2024; 88 (11) 1481-1489
- 49 Qiao J, Xu J, Li L, Ouyang YQ. The integration of immersive virtual reality simulation in interprofessional education: a scoping review. Nurse Educ Today 2021; 98: 104773
- 50 Sarfaraz S, Khurshid Z, Zafar MS. Use of artificial intelligence in medical education: a strength or an infirmity. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2023; 18 (06) 1553-1554
- 51 Dashti M, Londono J, Ghasemi S. et al. Attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of dentists and dental students toward artificial intelligence: a systematic review. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2024; 19 (02) 327-337
- 52 Guraya SY. Transforming simulation in healthcare to enhance interprofessional collaboration leveraging big data analytics and artificial intelligence. BMC Med Educ 2024; 24 (01) 941
- 53 Blakeney EA-R, Owen JA, Ottis E. et al. Measuring the impact of the national Train-the-Trainer Interprofessional Team Development Program (T3-ITDP) on the implementation of interprofessional education and interprofessional collaborative practice. J Interprof Educ Pract 2021; 24: 100442
- 54 Ratka A, Zorek JA, Meyer SM. Overview of faculty development programs for interprofessional education. Am J Pharm Educ 2017; 81 (05) 96
- 55 Eichorn N, Mullins CM, Borja-Hart N, Minor T, Williams SA. Development of a state-wide IPE faculty toolkit. J Allied Health 2021; 50 (01) e37-e44
- 56 Grymonpre RE. Faculty development in interprofessional education (IPE): reflections from an IPE coordinator. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2016; 11 (06) 510-519
- 57 Zorek JA, Ragucci K, Eickhoff J. et al. Development and validation of the IPEC Institutional Assessment Instrument. J Interprof Educ Pract 2022; 29: 100553