The Impact of Different Teaching Methods on Clinical Reasoning and Clinical Decision-making of Dentistry Students: A Systematic Review

Purpose/ObjectiveAlthough clinical reasoning is well established in medical education, its adoption in dental education is still debated. This systematic review aims to critically assess the available literature on the clinical reasoning and clinical decision-making of dentistry students and its relationship with different teaching methods.Material and methodsA comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE (via Ovid), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies published up to September 15, 2023. We included English language studies that evaluated clinical reasoning in undergraduate dental students.ResultsIn total, eighteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these articles, five were conducted in the field of oral medicine, three in restorative dentistry, two in endodontics, four in a combination of different fields, and five were conducted in other fields. The studies evaluated the impact of various methods including team-based learning, SNAPPS method, application-based teaching, artificial intelligence, lecture-based learning, small group discussion, problem-based learning, and case-based learning on facets of clinical reasoning.ConclusionThis systematic review suggests that new teaching methods in dentistry may positively impact the clinical reasoning ability and clinical decision-making of dentistry students. However, methodological inconsistencies and studies limit conclusive interpretation.