ArticleBMC medical education2026
Alcohol use disorders and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in a South African dental school curriculum: a curriculum mapping study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental and oral hygiene education has historically prioritised Western frameworks, often overlooking regional challenges. Alcohol misuse and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) pose significant global health burdens, with South Africa experiencing among the highest prevalence of FASD worldwide. This study assessed the extent to which FASD and alcohol misuse are integrated into the Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) curricula at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the only WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Health in Africa.
methodsA curriculum mapping exercise was undertaken using keyword searches aligned with two international FASD competency frameworks. Module outlines, course guides, and convenor inputs were reviewed to determine the presence or absence of FASD and alcohol-related content. Identified content was categorised as direct, indirect, or absent.
resultsThe BOH programme comprised 30 modules across three years, of which 10 demonstrated alignment with the target competencies. Notably, the Special Care for Oral Health module explicitly addressed both FASD and alcohol dependency, focusing on patient management, and ethical and legal responsibilities. The BDS curriculum included nine aligned modules; however, references were limited to the biological consequences of alcohol use, with no dedicated content on the management of affected patients. Across both curricula, indirect references were identified in modules addressing abnormal foetal development, special needs dentistry, and the management of medically compromised patients. Despite limited direct coverage, several opportunities for horizontal and vertical integration of relevant content were evident.
conclusionCurrent oral health curricula at UWC insufficiently address the management of patients with FASD and alcohol misuse, reflecting a broader gap in context-responsive education. There is an urgent need to develop South Africa-specific guidelines, competencies, and resources to support the integration of these topics into existing curricula. Strengthening curricular alignment will equip future oral health professionals with the knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to one of the country's most pressing public health challenges.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.