Elective course program on rational therapeutics for Dentistry students

Abstract

Introduction: the rational therapeutics method enables providing effective and safe drug therapy to patients; however, its approach is insufficient in the analytical program of the Pharmacology subject, Study Plan E, of the Dentistry degree.

Objective: to design an elective course program on rational therapeutics for Dentistry students.

Method: an educational research study was conducted at the Facultad de Estomatología of the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba, between January and October 2024. Theoretical-level scientific methods were used, such as the analytical-synthetic method, the inductive-deductive method, and the methodological foundations of the systemic-structural-functional approach. At the empirical level, the documentary review method was employed. Scientific articles published in electronic scientific journals indexed in the SciELO database, in Spanish, and preferably within the last five years were reviewed. For this purpose, keywords from the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) in Spanish were used. From the identified articles, those with full text and free access were selected.

Results: the designed program was structured into: general data, rationale, general objective, thematic plan, methodological and organizational indications, evaluation system, and bibliography.

Conclusions: it is concluded that the designed elective course program has the necessary structure, coherence, and logical sequence to promote in students the development of theoretical and practical skills aimed at the rational prescription of drugs at the primary care level in Stomatology, based on the application of the rational therapeutics method.