Philosophy of Medicine ; Dental Education ; Critical Thinking ; Narrative Research ; Educational Methodology ; Posthumanism
Keywords
This article aims to explore the roles and needs for the philosophy of medicine in dental education. Various international standards for dental education have embraced a competency-based education framework, emphasizing critical thinking as a core competency. Although critical thinking is a common thread in many countries with established dental education assessments, these standards do not specify a methodology for its implementation beyond reading evidence-based articles. If critical thinking is the essence of philosophy and its core methodology, the needs to incorporate philosophy into the acquisition of these skills is evident. This study begins with a narrative description of attempts to teach medical philosophy at one dental school and analyzes this items qualitatively to explore the possibilities of teaching medical philosophy in dental schools more broadly. Philosophy of medicine, especially medical metaphysics and epistemology, can serve as a thinking discipline that mediates between basic theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. Engaging in activities of philosophy of medicine, which involve critically analyzing concepts and situations in medical contexts and exploring alternatives extends beyond mere academic fulfillment. Through medical philosophical training, students are exposed to activities that examine, explore, reflect, and warrant worldviews and knowledge, providing a foundation that allows for multifaceted and flexible approaches to dentistry. Implementing a full philosophical education in dental schools may be challenging due to many barriers. However, it is possible to integrate a philosophical approach with various lectures and activities to develop students’ critical thinking skills, and this article propose philosophical posthumanism as its possible framework for the education. Thus, this article attempts to propose a role for philosophy of medicine in dental schools.