2024 Volume 40 Issue 1 Pages 20-23
Abstract Especially in the past ten years, the Hiroshima University School of Dentistry has been deeply involved in the internationalization of dental education, aiming at nurturing dental professionals who have a rich sense of humanity and can play an active role in the global community. In particular, 2012, when we adopted the English-Japanese bilingual teaching method in all lectures and practices given in our dentistry program, was an important turning point for the expansion of our international activities. Thanks to this, it has become possible for us to accept undergraduate dental students from overseas partner schools at any time, which has greatly promoted the internationalization of the educational environment at our school. In fact, every year we have provided in-bound student exchange programs, both short and long term, which has also enabled us to make international contributions in dental education. Furthermore, the international environment at our school has increased the motivation of Japanese students to study abroad and gain diverse experiences. We are currently able to send many undergraduate students to partner schools around the world every year, providing opportunities for them to broaden their horizons. This paper introduces the history, current status, and prospects of our endeavors for the internationalization of dental education.
