Dental Education in an Era of COVID-19: Kuwait's Experience

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 24;18(11):5606. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115606.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on dental education worldwide. Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Kuwait, it was essential for the Faculty of Dentistry (FoD) at Kuwait University to make appropriate modifications to the functioning of the dental school. The FoD's goal was not only to ensure a safe environment for its staff, students, and patients but also to sustain the students' academic progression. The FoD adopted several measures including the establishment of a COVID-19 response team, adoption of a blended-learning model, and phase-wise re-opening of the dental center. This paper discusses on the strategies that the FoD adopted, in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; blended-learning; dentistry; e-learning; education.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Education, Dental
  • Humans
  • Kuwait / epidemiology
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2