The Gap Between Clinical Expertise and Teaching Capability in Dental Education: A Systematic Review.
TL;DR
Bridging a meaningful gap exists between clinical expertise and teaching capability in clinical dental education and appears to depend on structured transition support, faculty development, and stronger curricular and institutional alignment.
Abstract
PURPOSE/
Objectives
To systematically review the literature on whether a gap exists between clinical expertise and teaching capability among dental clinicians involved in clinical teaching, and to identify the factors associated with this gap and the strategies used to address it.
Methods
A systematic review with integrative narrative synthesis of heterogeneous evidence was conducted in line with PRISMA 2020 principles. Scopus and PubMed were searched, with Google Scholar used as a supplementary source. The final screening dataset contained 110 records. Following title/abstract screening and full-text assessment, 42 accessible full-text papers were included. The evidence base comprised qualitative, survey, mixed-methods, intervention and programme-evaluation studies, systematic and scoping reviews, narrative reviews, and conceptual papers. Because of methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesized thematically rather than statistically pooled.
Results
The literature consistently indicated that clinical expertise does not automatically translate into teaching expertise. The gap was commonly explained by tacit expert knowledge, theory-practice discontinuity, limited teaching preparation, weak calibration, and inconsistent supervision. Learners experienced the gap through contradictory feedback, variable expectations, fragile continuity, and difficulty linking foundational knowledge to clinical decision-making. Faculty development was the most consistent bridging strategy, particularly when it included mentoring, reflection, calibration, applied practice, and structured support. Reasoning-focused assessment and stronger curricular integration also appeared to reduce the gap.
Conclusions
A meaningful gap exists between clinical expertise and teaching capability in clinical dental education. Bridging this gap requires more than procedural competence alone and appears to depend on structured transition support, faculty development, and stronger curricular and institutional alignment.