ROLE OF 'PEDAGOGICAL SCEINCE' IN DENTAL TEACHING – AN ILLUSTRATIVE REVIEW.

ABSTRACT Pedagogical science, which is the study of how people learn and teach, is an important part of improving dental education because it helps teachers use effective, evidence-based teaching methods that connect theory with practice. In dental education, it guides curriculum development, encourages active learning, and incorporates digital innovations to improve student involvement, psychomotor skill acquisition, and critical thinking. Competency-based education, grounded in pedagogical science, guarantees that students acquire biomedical, clinical, and behavioral skills through techniques such as flipped classrooms, virtual reality simulations, and blended learning. These methodologies, rooted in constructivist, connectivist, and behaviorist paradigms, surpass conventional lecture-based techniques in academic achievement (SMD = 0.48) and skill acquisition, as demonstrated by research on radiographic interpretation and crown preparation. Pedagogical science also helps with reflective practice and inclusive education, which means it meets the needs of different types of learners and gets them ready for lifelong learning in a dental field that is always changing. Even though there are problems like a lack of resources, its role in improving dental education outcomes is clear. KEY WORDS: Pedagogical science, Dental education, Flipped classroom, virtual reality, Blended learning.