Year-2015 Alliance-for-a-Cavity-Free-Future (ACFF) Goal Achievement: Caries Paradigm Adoption/Implementation in Colombian-Dental Schools

Objectives:
To quantitatively and qualitatively assess the year-2015 ACFF Colombian-Chapter caries-paradigm adoption/implementation goal in Colombian-dental schools.
Methods: 26-dental schools cariology-teaching teams received a 22-question survey based on 2011-survey and consensus, and each-school cariology-teaching representantive was invited to a focus group. Descriptive analysis of questionnaires was conducted. Three 90-minute focus groups were conducted discussing favoring/limiting curriculum-orientation aspects and study-plan curricular approach; a data-encoding process and interpretation followed to identify categories/trends.
Results: Twenty-one schools answered the questionnaire (80.8%), showing a wide-consensus socialization (90.5%). Most schools including: 6-domain contents (76.2%), increasing (vs. 2011) updated literature (78.0% vs. 36.3%), preclinical practice (90.5% vs. 77.8%), clinical initial-caries-lesion registration (100% vs. 38.1%), and caries-risk-related-management consideration (100% vs. 87.5%). Only 52.4% valued equally non-operative and operative-treatment decisions. Cariology-related social projects (76.2%), continuum-education (71.4%), teaching-improvement (90.5%), research (90.5%), and other curriculum revisions (90.5%) have followed. Adoption difficulties: concept-unifying (42.9%), dissemination-failures (19%), rehabilitation-specialist/oldest-teacher resistance (14.3%).
Twenty-four representatives/dental schools participated in the focus group. The analysis, organized in two curricular-aspect categories (limiting/favoring the current-paradigm adoption/implementation) found as tendencies: Historically the curriculum approach has been disease/biomaterials-focused, driving to study plans where cariology restorative- rather than preventive-based. Curriculum/study plans haven’t integrated an interdisciplinary axis, being biologically based. A curriculum transverse research-education process has favored development of caries-related studies.
Conclusions: The cariology-teaching consensus participative construction/publication has shown by 2015 a wide current-caries paradigm adoption/implementation in Colombian-dental schools, with an ongoing study-plan curriculum approach process favoring inclusion of new topics and opportunities for improving curricular-restorative/reductionist views approaches.