Progression of Dentistry after COVID-19

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic many changes and adaptations were forced onto the profession. This was most clearly demonstrated in the development and implementation of new educational approaches and pedagogies to ensure ongoing clinical competency training. Many dental students had to adapt rapidly to online teaching and learning environments, to a spectrum of innovative assessment methods, and to limited engagement in a clinical setting. This went together with revised clinical competency training
methods and interventions to compensate for lost clinical time. The question that remains is whether these changes will remain in place after the pandemic, because practitioners qualifying during the pandemic are ultimately certified as clinically competent; or whether this innovative approach still requires further scrutiny and validation.