In 2010 an international research team, under the auspices of ADEE, embarked on a two-year project funded through the EU Erasmus Programme. The project title was ‘Harmonisation and Standardisation of European Dental School’s Programs of Continuing Professional Development for Graduate Dentists’. This culminated in a series of publications - literature search, guidelines, exemplar e-learning module, recommended topics of CPD and a supplement to the European Journal of Dental Education. The latter being a ‘Reference Manual for Dental CPD’. All this information is equally relevant to dentists and allied dental healthcare team members (nurses, hygienists, therapists, technicians)
Two specific areas were identified for further research – ‘quality assurance of CPD educational activities’ and a universally acceptable ‘CPD accreditation process’.
The DentCPD website was set up and has continued to be updated over the past 8 years. The content and information on this website clearly demonstrates the fact that the researchers have achieved what the EU commission stressed was important, namely: Dissemination, Exploitation and Sustainability beyond the duration of the project.
The website provides a wealth of information gathered during the duration of the project. In addition, in particular, it displays further information on how ADEE researchers have contributed to the two themes identified at the end of the project. The development of a ‘QA Framework for Dental Workforce Development’(2014, updated 2016) and a proposal for accreditation of CPD educational activities for use by professionals and CPD providers alike.
In 2013, ‘Standards for Dental Educators’ was published in the UK. ADEE researchers also contributed to the ‘Study concerning the review and mapping of continuous professional development and lifelong learning for health professionals in the EU’ [jc4] and to the ‘EU Manual for Dental Practice, 2015’.
In 2019, a wide-ranging ‘Review of CPD’, undertaken by an ADEE research team was published by the UK dental regulatory body (the General Dental Council). These activities have all built on the foundations laid down through the DentCPD project. Additionally, there is information on the website of presentations at a series of ADEE and IADR conferences about CPD and related topics, culminating most recently in ADEE researchers’ review of ‘professionalism ’ across the careers of dentists and allied healthcare workers and a review of ‘preparedness for practice’ of new UK graduate dentists. Both have been published by the GDC (August 2020).
