Destination Madrid
Dental Learning Hub introduces Faculty of the Month for August 2008, the Faculty of Odontology at Madrid Complutense University, Spain. Professor Mariano Sanz, faculty dean, talks about the teaching, people and research that take place here.
Faculty statistics
Number of students: 547 undergraduate and 164 postgraduate
Years in existence: 60
Degrees offered: Degree in Odontology (5 years), MSc and PhD
Number of academic staff: 155
Postgraduate offerings: Structured postgraduate programs (2-3 years full time) available in: oral surgery, endodontics, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, periodontology and oral prosthodontics.
Scholarship or student exchange programmes: Erasmus-Socrates EU Programme has 40 students in exchange programs, half of them are Spanish students going abroad and the other half is from EU countries. The faculty also belongs to the DENTED network, a thematic network supported by the EU.
Faculty philosophy: The main aim of this institution is the education and training of oral health professionals able to fulfil their professional role in regard to community needs in prevention and therapy. We therefore aim to provide the academic and clinical training to both undergraduate and postgraduate students at the maximum level according to the standards defined for the European Union by the Association for Dental Education in Europe.
Training and research facilities: The Faculty of Odontology at Madrid Complutense University is the most important Odontology learning centre in Spain. Our building was fully refurbished in the 1990s so we have modern academic and clinical facilities. We have well-equipped undergraduate and postgraduate clinics with up to 220 dental chairs with state-of-the-art laboratories for clinical simulation work, where students are trained in different clinical procedures prior to accessing the dental clinics. All the dental clinics are equipped with digital radiographic and dental record systems.
We also have a dental library and a computer room. Through our virtual university computer system, all subjects are available online and students are always linked to lecturers, teaching materials and can communicate through the virtual forum and digital tutorials.
Within our faculty there is a research institute with laboratories in oral microbiology, oral biology and histology, biochemistry and molecular biology, craniofacial growth and development and dental biomaterials. These laboratories and interdisciplinary and provide facilities to both the faculty, postgraduate and PhD students.
Highlights and achievements from the past 2 years: Last year we installed computers in all the clinical facilities and purchased SALUD software. This system will allow us to achieve a fully paperless environment in our clinical management system and clinical records. This project is currently underway and is foreseen to be fully operational by 2009. The other main achievements have been the design and organization of the research institute with the inauguration of three new research laboratories and the establishment of our Continuing Education Programme.
Continuing education activities: We have an array of modular courses covering all areas of dentistry in our Continuing Education Programme. The innovative aspect of this program is that the courses have a mandatory 50% practical component. Each module is about 15 hours of education presented on Fridays and Saturdays over a year. The completion of a course (usually 4-8 modules) fulfils the requirements of a university diploma in the different areas of dentistry (endodontology, periodontology, implant dentistry, aesthetics, etc.)
Future plans: We want to continue our improvements in the technological and scientific areas of our academic environment. We are starting a new curriculum in 2009 and therefore we are currently very involved in its design and implementation.
Challenges facing dentistry in Spain: The main challenge is to provide a relevant education, both in terms of academic quality and clinical competence. Spain is currently producing too many dentists and therefore, the new graduates must develop in a highly competitive environment. We are committed to high quality education and clinical training.
Student perspectives
Find out what it is like to study at Madrid University from two current students, Monica Vallejo and Juan Velasco. Read here
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Dental Learning Hub introduces Faculty of the Month for August 2008, the Faculty of Odontology at Madrid Complutense University, Spain. Professor Mariano Sanz, faculty dean, talks about the teaching, people and research that take place here.
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Dental Learning Hub spoke with Monica Vallejo and Juan Velasco, dental students from the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, about their studies and aspirations for the future.
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