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Exploring the Ways in which Generation-Z Dental Students Learn and How this Could Impact Dental Foundation Training

From Volume 50, Issue 9, October 2023 | Pages 724-727

Authors

Christel Bazoua

4th year dental students, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield

Articles by Christel Bazoua

Afra Rahim

4th year dental students, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield

Articles by Afra Rahim

Ruby Robinson

4th year dental students, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield

Articles by Ruby Robinson

Jasmine Webster

4th year dental students, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield

Articles by Jasmine Webster

DJ Brierley

BDS (Hons), MFDS RCS (Ed), MFDS RCS (Eng), FRCPath, PhD, SFHEA

Senior Clinical Teacher and Honorary Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield

Articles by DJ Brierley

Email DJ Brierley

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which Generation-Z dental students learn currently, how this compares with previous generations, and how this may influence the ways in which future generations of dentists will practise. The opinions discussed are those of current fourth year dental students at the University of Sheffield, who delve into what their university learning experience has entailed so far, alongside sharing their feelings towards current methods of teaching. In this way, a student-centred insight is offered into the way Generation-Z students are learning dentistry, and how general dental practices (GDPs) may take account of this in dental foundation training (DFT).

Article

Short for Generation Z, ‘Gen-Z’ is a colloquial term used to describe anyone born between 1997 and 2012.1 They are the first generation born into an integrated and globally connected world where the internet has always been available, and they have certain characteristics (Figure 1). Gen-Z makes up a large proportion of current dental students and, therefore, those now graduating and entering the world of work. Having spoken to current dentists and tutors at dental school, and with the COVID-19 pandemic being one of the major influencing factors, the way students learn, both at home and at university, has changed significantly over recent years. While many current dental practitioners would previously have relied on books and in-person lectures, there has been a large shift towards online learning and different styles of teaching, as well as the use of different resources for learning both theory and clinical practice. The implications of this difference in learning for dental students and dental foundation trainees should be addressed to ensure that all those in this new generation of dentists are both competent and confident in their practice.

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