Stanislav Schneider named priorities for the Faculty of Dentistry: Expanding curricula, deepening cooperation, introduction of ICT

The Faculty of Dentistry of Odessa National Medical University includes six departments, five of which have their bases in the State Institution “Institute of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”. The institute is not only a treatment and prevention institution, but also a research center. The presence of students and interns on its basis allows them to participate not only in the practical activities of the dentist, but also in research work, which gives the student the opportunity to form scientific thinking, broaden horizons, interest and motivate research and self-improvement.

“The Faculty of Dentistry of Odessa National Medical University implements the concept of continuing education: from training students to advanced training and retraining of dentists,” said Stanislav Schneider, MD, Professor, Head of the Department of General Dentistry at a meeting of the Academic Council chaired by the Rector Academician Valerii Zaporozhan.

For the first time in Ukraine, the Faculty of Dentistry of ONMedU was equipped with the latest Simodont simulators of the last seventh generation. Simulation training has enormous potential to increase not only the level of practical training of medical staff, but also safety of medical care. “It is very important when from the very beginning of training the emphasis is placed on safety factors – compliance with established rules, algorithms, patient management protocols, the organization of purposeful interaction between medical staff and the patient,” said the professor.

Dental departments are located in their own university clinics and in regional and city medical institutions of Odessa. Clinical and medical bases are equipped with modern diagnostic and treatment equipment, which allows to carry out diagnostics and treatment, using domestic and world achievements of science at a high level.

The Department of General Dentistry of the Faculty of Postgraduate Education is the largest dental department in Ukraine, as it covers 3 southern regions – Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson – and fully provides postgraduate education for dentists. Currently, 317 intern dentists study at the department: 139 interns of the first year and 178 interns of the second year of study.

In total, over the past 5 years, employees of dental departments have published 519 articles, 212 abstracts, 6 monographs, 7 textbooks, received 17 patents. Employees of the departments defended 9 doctoral and 15 candidate dissertations.

According to Stanislav Schneider, the prospects for the development of the Faculty of Dentistry are to improve and expand the range of educational programs, maximize the potential of educational opportunities and strengthen cooperation with other departments of the Medical University. In his opinion, it is expedient to pay special attention to the widespread introduction of information and communication technologies in the system of postgraduate education, deepening ties with treatment and prevention facilities, establishing and developing international relations to implement positive experiences and joint projects.