Dental education: Online forums for learning

Sir, traditional university study (particularly for undergraduates) has been largely didactic in nature, comprised principally of the attendance of lectures and the reading of textbooks/research papers to help provide the foundations for independent practice upon graduation. However, in recent years there has been an eruption of online learning resources available to dental practitioners and students alike. Moreover, there has been rapid growth in the number of online forums where dentists can learn from peers, participate in topical discussion, as well as share ideas and clinical cases. The distribution of information via these forums is truly vast given the thousands of dentists and students worldwide who access them every day.

As a final year student myself, I have certainly developed a new habit of reviewing online dental forums on a regular basis. I have found many to be not only inspiring with regards to the presented clinical work, but also intellectually stimulating when reading comments and discussion raised by contributing dentists. With that said, I also feel it would be all too easy to stray into the trap of becoming over-reliant on such material, forgetting the importance of what makes a truly well-rounded, well-informed dental professional: the adoption of quality-assured and evidence-based learning in conjunction with continued self-development and education. I urge undergraduates especially to never forget that these sources are best seen as supplementary. They are not where one can, nor should, determine the 'gold standard'.

1. Manchester