Incident and Adverse-Event Reporting in Undergraduate Dental Education: A Scoping Review of Educational Evidence, Curricular Integration, Perceptions, and Barriers

Incident and adverse-event reporting is an important component of patient safety and provides opportunities for risk reduction and organizational learning. In undergraduate dental education programmes, students deliver patient care as they develop clinical competence; however, the extent to which incident reporting is taught, practiced, and integrated into clinical education or the dental curriculum remains unclear. This scoping review mapped the available evidence on the reporting of incidents and adverse events in undergraduate dental education. The review was undertaken in accordance with the framework of Arksey and O’Malley, JBI guidance, and PRISMA-ScR. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language studies published from 2015 to 2026 that addressed incident or adverse-event reporting in undergraduate dental education programmes, and data were collated and synthesized descriptively and thematically. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Students’ knowledge, confidence, and preparedness for incident reporting varied widely, and reporting was more often taught within general patient-safety education than as a distinct subject. Underreporting was common, particularly for incidents perceived as minor. Recurring barriers included fear of adverse consequences, limited support within the clinical hierarchy, and uncertainty about how to report. Few studies described any formal assessment of reporting competence, whereas studies in which adverse events were reviewed and fed back to students pointed to clear educational value. Undergraduate dental education addresses incident and adverse-event reporting inconsistently; clear reporting pathways, supportive supervision, constructive feedback, and a non-punitive clinical environment may strengthen reporting competence and patient-safety learning.