Dixon, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-3499-175X, Martin, N. and Field, J. (2024) Current practice, barriers and drivers to embedding environmental sustainability in undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland. British Dental Journal, 237. pp. 723-728. ISSN 0007-0610
Abstract
Aims This study aimed to: i) identify current teaching practice and approaches to embedding environmental sustainability (ES) in the undergraduate dental curriculum in the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI); and ii) uncover existing barriers and drivers to incorporating ES in dental education.
Methods A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all dental schools in the UK and ROI in the form of an online survey. The intended respondents were deans, heads of schools, directors of education, or senior academics of all dental schools in the UK and ROI that deliver undergraduate dentistry/dental surgery programmes.
Results In total, 18 dental schools responded to the survey, representing a response rate of 100% from the intended respondents. Note 56% of dental schools do not currently teach ES. Time constraints and a lack of knowledge and learning resources were the most reported barriers.
Conclusion Currently, ES is not taught in most dental schools in the UK and ROI. Many schools face challenges in finalising the delivery modalities of ES teaching, particularly in clinical environments. Numerous barriers have been identified that complicate embedding this topic in the curriculum. Positively, universities, staff, students and the recently published learning outcomes are driving impactful change across the sector.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Clinical Dentistry (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 13 Nov 2024 15:58 |
Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2024 15:58 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-8011-6 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41415-024-8011-6 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:219514 |