A Narrative Review of Problem-Based Learning: A Learner-Based Approach in Dental Education

The objective of this review is to explore the applicability of problem - based learning (PBL) methods in dental education. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an active student-centered learning methodology that has been increasingly used worldwide in various medical education systems. It inspires students to actively learn, develop habits of critical thinking, and search for new ideas and factors related to a real-world problem. The concept of PBL in dental education started in the 1990s. The inclusion of PBL in dental education helps in identifying various clinical problems on the basis of various factors responsible for its causation. It provides a broad view regarding the utilization of physiological, pathological and anatomical concepts in solving a problem. The dental students can later independently use such knowledge in future dental careers. This PBL methodology has been implemented in basic and clinical subjects’ dental curricula since 2014 at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. The literatures suggests that the inclusion of problem-based learning (PBL) in curricula is an effective teaching/ learning strategy compared with traditional learning methods. This strategy could help dental students to deal with various problems throughout their course of learning.