Redefining dental education in the digital era - Emerging technologies and pedagogical shifts: A state-of-the-art review

Dental education is evolving rapidly under the influence of global technological transformation, competency-based curricular reforms, and increased expectations of patient-centered care. The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented shift from traditional discipline-based instruction toward integrated, technology-enhanced, and outcome-driven learning environments. Simulation, virtual reality, early clinical exposure, and interprofessional education have redefined the manner in which dental students acquire and demonstrate competencies. This state-of-the-art review synthesizes recent evidence from 2015 to 2025 to analyze contemporary trends in dental education, highlight global innovations, and examine barriers to their implementation. A structured literature search was performed across PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Forty-two relevant studies were critically appraised and thematically categorized into five domains: Curriculum evolution, competency-based dental education, early clinical exposure, simulation and digital learning, and collaborative or hybrid models. Findings indicate a clear paradigm shift toward learner-centered pedagogies emphasizing clinical reasoning, empathy, and digital literacy. However, challenges remain in standardization, faculty readiness, and assessment validity. The review concludes that sustainable reform in dental education requires evidence-based curriculum design, faculty upskilling, and integration of emerging technologies with core professional values.