ABSTRACT
In the past, clinical learning was reserved for the later years of medical, dental and veterinary (MDV) courses. It was considered necessary to have all the basic sciences and theoretical concepts in place before students could see patients. However, in the early 1990s we conducted a survey of our students throughout all years of the ‘old’/conventional curriculum. From students in the earlier, preclinical years of the course, we received many negative comments relating to heavy contact hours, redundant material and a perceived lack of relevance of theory to practice. Students arrived at the clinic with a vast theoretical knowledge from their subject-centred, pre-clinical education, to be faced with the contrast of problem-oriented, practical experience (Townsend et al, 1997). Other reasons for a change in the curriculum were also evident at this time: • an explosion of knowledge in the biodental and biomedical sciences generating
new philosophies and controversies in patient care;
• dramatic changes in the health of the Australian population, with marked reductions in dental caries in younger individuals and an increasing proportion of middle-aged/elderly dentate and medically compromised patients;
• significant technological advances, including new restorative and implant materials that have broadened the available range of treatment options;
• major advances in the field of teaching methodology, including the availability of computer-assisted learning (CAL) and multimedia technology.
