Integrating design thinking into dental education

Design thinking is a human-centred, iterative process that aims to develop innovative solutions tailored to user needs. This article examines the groundwork and incorporation of design thinking in healthcare and medical education, highlighting its potential benefits in dental education, including en...

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Main Authors: Supachai Chuenjitwongsa, Lisa R. Amir, Abbas Jessani, Lakshman P. Samaranayake, Thanaphum Osathanon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Oral Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1547335/full
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author Supachai Chuenjitwongsa
Lisa R. Amir
Abbas Jessani
Abbas Jessani
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Thanaphum Osathanon
Thanaphum Osathanon
author_facet Supachai Chuenjitwongsa
Lisa R. Amir
Abbas Jessani
Abbas Jessani
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Thanaphum Osathanon
Thanaphum Osathanon
author_sort Supachai Chuenjitwongsa
collection DOAJ
description Design thinking is a human-centred, iterative process that aims to develop innovative solutions tailored to user needs. This article examines the groundwork and incorporation of design thinking in healthcare and medical education, highlighting its potential benefits in dental education, including enhancements in learner-centred approaches, faculty development, interprofessional collaboration, and person-centred care. Design thinking methods foster learner engagement, aligning with cognitive and constructivist learning theories. Active engagement and discourse among learners create meaningful learning experiences, benefiting from a “learning by doing” approach. Further, design thinking processes ensure critical thinking and collaborative learning, supporting active engagement with prior knowledge and constructive feedback skills. Thus, applying design thinking in dental education could deepen learners' understanding with improved problem-solving skills, ultimately leading to effective learning outcomes.
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publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Oral Health
spelling doaj-art-369cb78a102c45e0b01fcc69a58556fd2025-08-20T02:52:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oral Health2673-48422025-03-01610.3389/froh.2025.15473351547335Integrating design thinking into dental educationSupachai Chuenjitwongsa0Lisa R. Amir1Abbas Jessani2Abbas Jessani3Lakshman P. Samaranayake4Lakshman P. Samaranayake5Thanaphum Osathanon6Thanaphum Osathanon7Dental Education Unit, Office of Academic Affairs, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandDental Education Unit and Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, IndonesiaDivision of Dental Public Health, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaOffice of Research Affairs, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandFaculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaDental Education Unit, Office of Academic Affairs, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandCenter of Excellence for Dental Stem Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandDesign thinking is a human-centred, iterative process that aims to develop innovative solutions tailored to user needs. This article examines the groundwork and incorporation of design thinking in healthcare and medical education, highlighting its potential benefits in dental education, including enhancements in learner-centred approaches, faculty development, interprofessional collaboration, and person-centred care. Design thinking methods foster learner engagement, aligning with cognitive and constructivist learning theories. Active engagement and discourse among learners create meaningful learning experiences, benefiting from a “learning by doing” approach. Further, design thinking processes ensure critical thinking and collaborative learning, supporting active engagement with prior knowledge and constructive feedback skills. Thus, applying design thinking in dental education could deepen learners' understanding with improved problem-solving skills, ultimately leading to effective learning outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1547335/fulldental educationdesign thinkingcurriculumfaculty developmentteachinglearning
spellingShingle Supachai Chuenjitwongsa
Lisa R. Amir
Abbas Jessani
Abbas Jessani
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Lakshman P. Samaranayake
Thanaphum Osathanon
Thanaphum Osathanon
Integrating design thinking into dental education
Frontiers in Oral Health
dental education
design thinking
curriculum
faculty development
teaching
learning
title Integrating design thinking into dental education
title_full Integrating design thinking into dental education
title_fullStr Integrating design thinking into dental education
title_full_unstemmed Integrating design thinking into dental education
title_short Integrating design thinking into dental education
title_sort integrating design thinking into dental education
topic dental education
design thinking
curriculum
faculty development
teaching
learning
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1547335/full
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