Title : Essentials of Professionalism for Dentists
Abstract:
This presentation aims to share our experience with introducing the essentials of professionalism into the undergraduate dental curriculum to answer the evolving identity, integrity, and inter-professional challenges the dental profession faces now. The major educational objective of the “Essentials” was to provide the graduating doctors of dental medicine with appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitude relevant to their socio-professional role as liberal practitioners, while partnering with the public healthcare system, especially: understanding of social and public health phenomena and processes, which take place at the individual, group and community level; analyzing health status determinants and health indicators; making decisions based on critical evaluation of evidence; solving technological, medical, legal and ethical problems. Implementing a set of relevant topics under the label “Essentials of professionalism in dentistry” we tried to assist our students and graduate dentists to recognize, assess and solve problems through better communication and organization of work. In this relation, we produced a series, of three textbooks to refer to core facts and the newest findings relevant to the dental profession and the practice of dentistry. The text aimed to stay focused, balanced and concise, giving opportunity for upgrade and adoption, according to national particularities while keeping in view the adequate global and longstanding professional performance worldwide. The content and sequence of the chapters are primarily meant to keep and develop professional autonomy, encourage the development of professional knowledge and science, ensure a decent professional realization, inspire humanity and responsibility, and lifelong interest in perfection and safety at the working place.
