Cariology–Competency Teaching Among Latin American Dental Schools Implementing the Regional Curriculum Framework: COM-B Analysis

Purpose: The Latin American Spanish-speaking Cariology Curriculum framework (LACC), agreed in 2023, outlines 85 specific competencies grouped within 10 main competencies and five domains: Domain I (basic knowledge); Domains II–IV (clinical caries-risk and lesion assessment, synthesis, decision-making and care) and Domain V (practice/public health evidence-based cariology). This study, part of a broader implementation science project, aimed to assess how cariology is being taught in participating Latin American dental schools (DS) using the COM-B model and the LACC. Methods: Fourteen DS were invited; those that agreed to participate completed a 425-item questionnaire based on the COM-B model, assessing self-reported cariology teaching behaviours aligned with the LACC. The 85 specific competencies were grouped into 16 thematic areas. Descriptive statistics, Welch's ANOVAs and multiple linear regression were used for analyses. Results: Eight LA DS participated (Argentina: n = 2; Chile: n = 2; Colombia: n = 1; Dominican Republic: n = 1; Mexico: n = 1; Uruguay: n = 1). Half of DS performed the LACC thematic-area teaching behaviours almost ‘most of the time’ (DS2: 3.9 ± 1.3; DS6: 3.7 ± 1.2; DS7: 3.6 ± 0.6; DS8: 3.7 ± 1.1), followed by 37.5% performing them almost ‘always’ (DS3: 4.5 ± 0.6; DS4: 4.5 ± 1.0; DS5: 4.4 ± 0.9), and 1 DS (12.5%) almost ‘sometimes’ (DS1: 2.8 ± 0.8). The most frequent LACC thematic-area teaching behaviour was ‘Caries epidemiology and research methodology’ (Domain I) (‘always’: DS2-DS3, DS5; ‘most of the time’: DS4, DS6-DS7); the least one, ‘Dental health systems, economy, approaches’ (Domain V) (almost ‘rarely’: DS6; ‘rarely’: DS1-DS2, DS4, DS8). Capability was the best teaching behaviour predictor across all five domains. Conclusion: Participating Latin American DS are incorporating updated cariology teaching behaviours with a moderate-to-high frequency. Capability was the key factor associated with the performance of these behaviours.