Abstract:

Introduction:
After the Bologna Declaration (1999) and the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de la Calidad y Acreditación – ANECA) commissioned a network of public and private universities to design a new dentistry curriculum, which was published under the title "Libro Blanco del Título de Grado en Odontología [White Paper on the Degree in Dentistry]."

Prior to publication, this network developed a questionnaire to assess the competencies taught by the current curricula at that time, highlighting one competency for its overall low score: “having knowledge of conscious sedation (CS) techniques applied to dental treatments.”

Currently, the Spanish curriculum for degrees in dentistry includes CS as a basic training competence. However, is the CS training provided by Spanish dental schools a consensus-based educational framework that allows students to use this anaesthetic technique after graduation?

Methodology:
To answer this research question, the authors reviewed legislation concerning officially established requirements for a degree in dentistry as well as curricula currently taught in Spain.

Results:
Our analysis identified clear discrepancies among the schools of dentistry studied. The only overlap was observed in reference to the level of proficiency imparted, which prevents Spanish dentistry students from using this anaesthetic technique after graduation.

Conclusions:
Specific features of the normative framework and of the Spanish legislative system underlying the design of the present curricula of degrees in dentistry would explain the discrepancies in CS competencies taught at our schools of dentistry. Almost 10 years since its implementation and in light of the new demands of the complex society in which we live, Spanish universities must unify their educational criteria regarding CS training to ensure the appropriate qualification of our new dentists in this technique.

Keywords:

Conscious sedation, curriculum, degree, dentistry, dental schools, Spain, Bologna Declaration.