Basic sciences education in the dental curriculum in Southern Europe

A survey was conducted to determine the current status of the basic sciences education in Southern European dental schools. Responses were collected from schools in Malta, Greece, Portugal, Italy, France and Spain. The results show that there is some uniformity across Southern Europe, even if there are some variations among dental schools both within one country and among the different countries. The links with Medicine seem to be strong. Most basic sciences dental educators have a medical degree and usually have their main appointment in a medical school. The only exception to this is found in France, where the faculty, who are mostly dentists, have their main appointment in a dental school. In half of the countries, courses are given jointly to both dental and medical students. There is, in general, poor coordination between the basic science subjects and other subjects in the dental curriculum. All the surveyed schools maintain traditional curricula and teaching methodologies. However, there is an increased movement towards self-directed learning, computer-assisted learning and improved coordination with clinical subjects.