ENHANCING INTERDISCIPLINARY COMPETENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE DENTAL EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN PERIODONTAL-PROSTHODONTIC INTEGRATED CARE PLANNING

Introduction: The interdisciplinary competence is now being paramount in current dental education through periodontal-prosthodontic care since integrated planning is of utmost importance in treatment. This is helped by the reflective practice as it encourages critical thinking and collective decision making. Objective: To find out how reflective practice can be used to promote interdisciplinary competence in undergraduate periodontal-prosthodontic integrated care planning by dental students. Materials and Method: The study was a quantitative and cross-sectional study conducted at University Medical and Dental College Faisalabad in the duration from October, 2024 to March, 2025. There was a survey of reflective practices and interdisciplinary competence of 3rd year and final year dental students with a structured Likert-scale questionnaire. SPSS was utilized in data analysis. Results: The response rate of the survey among 120 students was 93.3 percent (112 respondents). There was a substantial correlation in a positive direction (r = 0.61, p < 0.01) between reflective practice and interdisciplinary competence. Obstacles were lack of time and minimal reactions by faculty. Conclusion: The reflective practice is such a good way of increasing interdisciplinary competence. Formative reflection and enhanced participation of faculty play essential roles in equipping teamwork, proficient dentists.