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The development of a core syllabus for the teaching of oral anatomy, histology, and embryology to dental students via an international ‘Delphi Panel’

The formulation of core syllabuses for the biomedical sciences within medical and dental courses is partially driven by the need to cope with decreased time allocations for these subjects as a result of major curricular changes taking place worldwide. There is also a requirement to deal with the request for increased clinical relevance. In response to such demands, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) is devising core syllabuses for the anatomical sciences relating to the education and training of both scientific and clinical professions. The process initially involves using Delphi Panels consisting of a team of anatomists, scientists, and clinicians who evaluate syllabus content in detail and accord each element/topic ‘essential,’ ‘important,’ ‘acceptable,’ or ‘not required’ status. Their conjectures, published on the IFAA website, provide merely a framework to enable other stakeholders to comment. The approach is international in scope, is conceptually ‘democratic,’ and is developmentally fluid in being readily available for amendment. The aim is to set internationally recognized standards and thus to provide guidelines concerning anatomical knowledge when engaged in course development. This article presents the deliberations of an IFAA Delphi Panel into a core syllabus for oral anatomy, histology, and embryology within the dental curriculum. Clin. Anat. 31:231–249, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.