The importance of inter-professional education in the teaching and learning of dentistry: A scoping systematic review analysing the where, why and how

In recent years, inter-professional education has increased its popularity in the teaching and learning of dentists, with the aim of improving collaboration and quality of service. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to describe and analyse the where, why and how of inter-professional education in dental education. A scoping systematic review was conducted by searching multiple databases, a manual search of relevant journals, and in the grey literature. A thematic analysis was then performed on the data. Most of the 30 articles retrieved were produced in North American and European settings, and mainly jointly with medical, nursing and pharmacy students. The main justification was the need to promote and value teamwork in order to meet the needs of patients. Team-based, problem-based, and case-based learning were the most common learning strategies found. These reported positive changes with regards to communication and collaboration between inter-professional students. The discussion is centred on the benefits and recommendations when planning inter-professional education interventions in dental education.