Competency-based medical education and entrustable professional activities in dental education: Global perspectives and implications for Taiwan.
- 1School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- 2Orthodontic Division, Department of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract
Background/purpose
Competency-based medical education (CBME) and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been adopted in medical education as frameworks to align training with real-world clinical practice. Although international dental education has begun to explore EPA-based assessment, the implementation of CBME in dentistry remains inconsistent and underdeveloped, particularly in Taiwan. This narrative review aimed to summarize global and local developments in CBME and EPAs, identify current gaps in Taiwanese dental education, and clarify the rationale for examining faculty readiness in future CBME implementation.Materials and methods
A narrative literature review incorporating international and Taiwan-specific sources was conducted and thematically synthesized to examine CBME and EPAs in dental education.Results
A total of 25 publications were included and categorized into five thematic domains covering global CBME and EPA frameworks, faculty perspectives, international dental applications, Taiwan-specific initiatives, and experiences from allied health professions.Conclusion
This review highlights the expanding adoption of CBME and EPAs in global health professions education, alongside their still limited and uneven implementation in dental education, particularly in Taiwan. While early initiatives such as the Clinical dental skills examination (CDSE), the postgraduate year dental (PGYD) 6 + 2 model, and pilot dental EPAs provide a foundation, further progress requires stronger faculty development, clearer entrustment processes, and coherent assessment systems. Coordinated national strategies and shared EPA frameworks will be essential to support a sustainable, competency-based culture in Taiwanese dental education.
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BibTeX
@article{cheng2026competencybased,
title = {{Competency-based medical education and entrustable professional activities in dental education: Global perspectives and implications for Taiwan.}},
author = {Johnson Hsin-Chung Cheng and Sharon Hsuan-Jung Chen},
journal = {Journal of dental sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jds.2025.07.3473},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923719},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Competency-based medical education and entrustable professional activities in dental education: Global perspectives and implications for Taiwan.
AU - Johnson Hsin-Chung Cheng
AU - Sharon Hsuan-Jung Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of dental sciences
DO - 10.1016/j.jds.2025.07.3473
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923719
AB - Background/purpose Competency-based medical education (CBME) and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been adopted in medical education as frameworks to align training with real-world clinical practice. Although international dental education has begun to explore EPA-based assessment, the implementation of CBME in dentistry remains inconsistent and underdeveloped, particularly in Taiwan. This narrative review aimed to summarize global and local developments in CBME and EPAs, identify current gaps in Taiwanese dental education, and clarify the rationale for examining faculty readiness in future CBME implementation.Materials and methods A narrative literature review incorporating international and Taiwan-specific sources was conducted and thematically synthesized to examine CBME and EPAs in dental education.Results A total of 25 publications were included and categorized into five thematic domains covering global CBME and EPA frameworks, faculty perspectives, international dental applications, Taiwan-specific initiatives, and experiences from allied health professions.Conclusion This review highlights the expanding adoption of CBME and EPAs in global health professions education, alongside their still limited and uneven implementation in dental education, particularly in Taiwan. While early initiatives such as the Clinical dental skills examination (CDSE), the postgraduate year dental (PGYD) 6 + 2 model, and pilot dental EPAs provide a foundation, further progress requires stronger faculty development, clearer entrustment processes, and coherent assessment systems. Coordinated national strategies and shared EPA frameworks will be essential to support a sustainable, competency-based culture in Taiwanese dental education.
SN - 1991-7902
SN - 2213-8862
ER -