Comparing the Curriculum and Academic Structure of the Iraqi College of Dentistry with Arab Universities, and Conducting Satisfaction Surveys among Iraqi Dentistry Students and Alumni

Sundus Abdull Wadood Aljazaeri,*
Husain lafta Abbas,
Abbas Hafidh Abd Alzahra,
Abbas Dawood Abdulnabi,
Abdullah Ayoub Raheem,
Ahmed Abdulmotleb Saiwan,
Reham Adnan Radhi

Abstract

Abstract Background: The Iraqi dental education program follows a standardized curriculum derived from the original College of Dentistry in Baghdad, which has undergone some recent revisions. Aims and Objectives: to determine the effectiveness of the Iraqi dental education program, identify areas for improvement, compare the program to an Arabic university and assess the satisfaction of graduates. Materials and Methods: A comparative analysis was conducted at the College of Dentistry at the University of Basra in the academic year 2022-2023 between the curriculum of Basrah dental curriculum and that of four Arab dental colleges, involving 466 graduates and students from Iraqi dental colleges. Result: Iraq's College of Dentistry follows an annual study system with a unified curriculum, which differs from Arab colleges; that follow the semester study system; in terms of basic sciences, pre-clinical dental subjects, clinical subjects, and clinical dental curricula. In contrast, basic sciences are taught in a preparatory year before studying in three Arab colleges, while basic medical sciences are taught in the first three years in all colleges except Iraq. A study of students and practising dentists from 466 dental colleges in Iraq found that the College of Dentistry was not the right place for students to study the first level of basic science. The program failed to effectively prepare students for the workplace. Conclusion: Dental colleges need to change to the semester system instead of the annual one. The curricula need to be reviewed intensively in terms of the types of curricula and their distribution to the stages. Introducing a preparatory year for basic sciences before studying in dental colleges. Limiting the medical sciences in the first and second years. The third year is concentrated on preclinical for all dental subjects and the fourth and fifth years include all clinical dentistry with the addition of curricula such as research methodology, artificial intelligence approaches, medical ethics, patient rights and effective communication that can help dentistry colleges graduate students with well-rounded skills.