TEACHING METHODOLOGY AIMED AT DEVELOPING PATIENT-CENTERED CLINICAL REASONING IN DENTAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Modern dental education should be based not only on the transmission of theoretical knowledge, but also on the development of clinical thinking, a patient-centred approach, preventive thinking, and professional decision-making skills. From this perspective, Domain III of the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE), “Patient-Centred Care,” serves as an important methodological basis for the modernisation of dental educational programmes. It includes the application of the scientific foundations of oral health, the collection and interpretation of clinical information, individualised treatment planning, as well as the development of practical skills aimed at maintaining and restoring oral health. The introduction of such a teaching methodology in the dental faculties of Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi makes it possible to make education more outcome-based, integrated, and closely aligned with clinical practice. In the teaching process, the emphasis shifts from separate subject-based knowledge to the comprehensive assessment of the patient, risk analysis, communication, comparison of treatment options, and evidence-based decision-making. The article presents the methodological approach formed on the basis of Domain III, its principles of application, possible forms of organising teaching, and the expected educational outcomes.