Integrated teaching of basic and clinical sciences in anxiety and pain management

Like many other UK Dental Schools, Leeds Dental Institute has undertaken a commitment to integrated learning within its new curriculum. From an educational viewpoint, contextualisation of learning presents opportunities for deeper levels of learning. This can be particularly useful in embedding basic sciences in the dental curriculum. The General Dental Council in their document `The First Five Years' endorse this approach to learning. The Year 1 Anxiety and Pain Management course has been designed to integrate basic and clinical sciences, interdisciplinary learning and learning with other members of the dental team. This paper describes the structure of the course, its place within the horizontal and vertical learning themes, as well as describing the response of staff and students to this type of course.