Accreditation Results(Accreditation Results for School of Dental Education)

Osaka Dental University
School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Osaka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2023
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2031）

Osaka Dental University, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry

Accreditation Resultsfor Osaka Dental University, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry

Osaka Dental University, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, sets forth a clear
purpose statement based on its founding spirit and overarching purpose that reads asfollows: “We aim to widely provide knowledge in dentistry required to be a dentist, teachtheory and techniques deeply in specialized areas, help develop intellectual, moral, andapplied abilities, contribute to the creation and development of culture, as well as todevelop human resources who demonstrate the founding spirit, philanthropy and publicinterest.”
The School’s education program has several highly commendable features,including the opportunity for students of the School of Dentistry and the Faculty of Health
Sciences to learn how data science is applied to dentistry through the Mathematics, DataScience, and AI Smart Higher Education Program, an on-demand MEXT-certified
MDASH Literacy program under the interdepartmental ODU Common Curriculum ofDental Care Faculties, as well as the Honors Education and Forum for International
Students programs designed to develop students’ research mindset and international
outlook. The School offers dedicated student support programs that include a multilayered academic advising system involving a team of advisors comprising an instructorfor each year level, a mentor, and an academic counselor and the “care and nurture”
program offering mental health support and interventions for academic underachievement.
Furthermore, data on students’ advising history are accumulated in the academic
computer system’s student records to be shared and utilized by teachers for futureadvising. It is also notable that practical training is designed to provide knowledge, skills,
and experience in digital dentistry through simulation training that involves designing
CAD/CAM-generated inlays and crowns, taking digital impressions, and creating
restorative components using the intraoral scanner and other equipment acquired with
MEXT’s Grant-in-Aid for University Reform, with part of the training conducted jointlywith the Department of Oral Health Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, to provide
experience in multi-specialty dental care.
A commendable aspect of the School’s student enrollment is that it offers a wide
range of application options, including “Plus One” in which admission decisions are madebased on the combined score of the General Selection test and one subject from theCommon Test for University Admissions, and the “Foreign Language Test Exemption”
in the application categories of “Selection by School Recommendation” and “General1Osaka Dental University, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry

Selection.” The “Foreign Language Test Exemption” exempts applicants from taking theSchool’s foreign language test when submitting a passing score of an English language
proficiency test administered by a private testing agency.
The review observed that faculty evaluation is implemented in accordance with
the School’s regulations. Some notable features of the School’s evaluation scheme include
the multi-dimensional evaluation approach of assessing not just individual teachers but
courses as well, and the use of such novel evaluation criteria as the SDGs, Society 5.0,community engagement, and regional development.
There are several areas of improvement the School should address, however,despite the various strengths and unique features noted above.
First, the Goals and Objectives Statements in the Educational Policy, Objectivesof Studying Dentistry (published in the University Guidebook) and the degree award
policy (diploma policy) are essentially the same though expressed differently, and should
be reviewed for clarity and consistency in content and style.
Second, clinical clerkships are now taught by paid clinical teaching staffmembers with a dental degree and minimum clinical experience of five years. Thesequalification requirements should be articulated in writing.
Third, with no clear appeals policy in place for grading, students wishing toquestion or express concerns about their grades, except for the 6th year bachelor degreeexam, have no recourse other than contacting the teacher. This situation should berectified.
Lastly, while the faculty’s age profile by rank is appropriate for sustaining thefaculty into the future, the percentage of female teachers is low relative to the studentgender ratio and needs improvement.
To improve these issues the School is advised to utilize the results of thisaccreditation for schools of dental education and continue its self-study efforts for
improvement, while assuring and enhancing the quality of its undergraduate dental
education and further developing the unique characteristics of its dental education
program.

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