title: Using Delphi technique in a consensual curriculum for periodontics.
abstract: Periodontics has experienced several important conceptual changes in the last few decades. As such, it is important to have a periodontics curriculum built upon the expertise of specialists in that discipline and reflecting those changes. The main goal of this study was to attain a consensus, through the use of the Delphi technique, on the topics that should be included in a periodontics curriculum for undergraduate dental students. A sample of periodontics lecturers from nine dental schools in two Brazilian cities was used, and a Delphi technique approach was followed to investigate sample member perceptions on the subject. Participants received four postal mail questionnaires asking them to rate and rerate eighty-nine topics for possible inclusion in the curriculum. A descriptive analysis was conducted, and topic frequencies were calculated. Topics rated as highly important for inclusion were the following: health, ailment, prevention, etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. The Delphi technique approach proved successful in involving periodontics lecturers in the design of a periodontics curriculum for undergraduate dental students.
authors.affiliation: Dental School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. hf1000@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fried
authors.forename: Anna Thereza
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Leao
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D032921:Consensus; D003479:Curriculum; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010517:Periodontics / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires