DISTANCE EDUCATION AND PRACTICAL TRAINING OF APPLICANTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE SPECIALTY "DENTISTRY"

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the educational space of Ukraine. According to the anti-epidemic re-quirements in the conditions of strict quarantine in higher education institutions the educational process was trans-ferred to the distance mode. Higher education institutions have prepared for quarantine restrictions. In the presence of technical capabilities and an extensive network with a stable Internet connection some experience of distance education was gained. But areas of knowledge and spe-cialties, in particular, "Dentistry", which are closely re-lated to the training of applicants in practical skills, since the professional qualities of future specialists are depend-ed on this, turned out to be the most vulnerable due to the impossibility of conducting practical training. It is impos-sible to practice dental skills in the absence of clinical admission of patients, without available simulators, mod-els, models, tools and equipment. In relation to the state certification of second (master's) level higher education students in the specialty "Dentistry", in a pandemic and intensified anti-epidemic measures, the structured practi-cal (clinical) exam procedure has a high probability to be changed significantly in terms of practical skills control.
The skill level in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of dental diseases of applicants can be controlled by tradi-tional approaches through real-time video conferencing using case packages of clinical situational tasks with pho-tos and videos. Dental manipulations can be demonstrat-ed individually by applicants on simulators or models by videoconference or in a virtual environment using the ap-propriate computer programs to simulate certain manipu-lations.