Biomaterial Database

Problem solving and problem-solving education in dentistry. 1997

J J ten Bosch

Laboratory for Materia Technica, School of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. J.J.ten.Bosch.@med.rug.nl

Academic education in dentistry should lead to the capability to solve complex open problems. The student entering university is only familiar with closed problems. Research into the making of a medical diagnosis has shown that novices do so differently than experts. These research results are summarised and are presumed to be transferable to dental diagnosing and treatment planning. Examples of this transfer are given. Until 1 or 2 decades ago, education in problem solving was done only by extensive teacher-student interaction in clinical and scientific work. Presently, this is no longer adequate because of reduction of curriculum time for these activities. Therefore other methods have been developed in many places. These methods include the use of a problem-solving model (heuristic). Based on models in the literature, 3 new models are presented. These are intended for novices that solve a dentally relevant open problem in basic sciences, for novices that solve a clinical dental problem, and for more expert students that solve such a problem. Diagrams and examples are given.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D003479	Curriculum	A course of study offered by an educational institution.	Curricula,Short-Term Courses,Course, Short-Term,Courses, Short-Term,Short Term Courses,Short-Term Course
D003657	Decision Making	The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.	Credit Assignment,Assignment, Credit,Assignments, Credit,Credit Assignments
D004497	Education, Dental	Use for articles concerning dental education in general.	Dental Education
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013335	Students, Dental	Individuals enrolled a school of dentistry or a formal educational program in leading to a degree in dentistry.	Dental Student,Dental Students,Student, Dental
D017145	Models, Educational	Theoretical models which propose methods of learning or teaching as a basis or adjunct to changes in attitude or behavior. These educational interventions are usually applied in the fields of health and patient education but are not restricted to patient care.	Educational Models,Instructional Models,Educational Model,Instructional Model,Model, Educational,Model, Instructional,Models, Instructional
D018794	Problem-Based Learning	Instructional use of examples or cases to teach using problem-solving skills and critical thinking.	Active Learning,Curriculum, Problem-Based,Experiential Learning,Problem-Based Curricula,Curricula, Problem-Based,Curriculum, Problem Based,Learning, Active,Learning, Experiential,Learning, Problem-Based,Problem Based Curricula,Problem Based Learning,Problem-Based Curriculum