Received by the Editorial Office: June 28, 2026
Accepted for publication: August 05, 2026
Published online: September 30, 2026
UDC: 378.147:615.03:616.31
DOI: 10.70113/1815-9443.2026.62.38.007
TEACHING CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY TO DENTAL STUDENTS: EVALUATION OF OUTCOMES OF A PRACTICE-ORIENTED APPROACH
Abushakhmanova A.Kh., Syzdikova Zh.V., Kaliyeva Sh. S., Dyusembayeva N.K., Simokhina N.A., Raiymbekova Zh.A., Sagadatova T.K., Sabekova O.Zh.
1–8 Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Evidence-Based Medicine,
NJSC “Karaganda Medical University”, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
*Corresponding author: Zh.V. Syzdikova, e-mail: MyasnikovaZ@qmu.kz
Introduction. Contemporary dental practice requires future dentists not only to know the pharmacological characteristics of medicines but also to justify rational treatment choices and assess contraindications, drug interactions, and the risk of adverse reactions. Practice-oriented approaches to clinical pharmacology are therefore particularly relevant to dental education.
Objective. To evaluate educational outcomes associated with the implementation of a practice-oriented approach to teaching clinical pharmacology to fifth-year dental students.
Materials and Methods. A retrospective comparative before-and-after analysis was performed using final examination results from fifth-year Dentistry students: 119 students in the 2023–2024 academic year before implementation and 84 students in 2024–2025 after implementation. The practice-oriented approach combined development of an educational drug formulary, clinical case analysis, and use of Moodle for self-directed learning, formative assessment, and feedback. A student survey was also conducted. Statistical analysis was descriptive.
Results. The mean examination score increased from 78.3 to 82.5 points, an absolute increase of 4.2 points. The pass rate remained 100% in both periods. The proportion of grades B− or higher increased from 75.6% to 98.8%, whereas the proportion of C+, C, and C− grades decreased from 24.4% to 1.2%. In the survey, 100% of respondents rated teacher support, feedback, and the use of active learning methods highly; the most challenging activities were preparation of the drug formulary, clinically oriented tasks, and work with evidence-based information.
Discussion. The positive change in educational indicators occurred concurrently with implementation of the practice-oriented package. However, the before-and-after design, comparison of different student cohorts, absence of a parallel control group, and descriptive-only statistical analysis preclude interpretation of the observed differences as direct causal evidence of effectiveness.
Conclusion. Implementation of the educational drug formulary, clinical case analysis, and Moodle was associated with improved final educational outcomes and favorable student perceptions. More rigorous controlled studies using standardized outcomes and comparable baseline groups are required to assess effectiveness.
Keywords: clinical pharmacology; dentistry; practice-oriented learning; medical education; clinical cases; drug formulary; Moodle.
