We made a field trip to Nippon Dental University Hospital to observe its clinical training practices on February 16, 2011. Distinctive features of the clinical training system were as follows. 1) Clinical training is given to fifth-year students. Students in the sixth-year are intent on their studies. 2) There is a one-month overlap in the training periods between these two groups, as patients are handed over from the fifth- to the fourth-year students. This handover is a student-led event. 3) After this period, pre-clinical training is given to the fifth-year students for three months, and then clinical training begins. 4) Patients are requested to evaluate and give feedback to the students treating them. Each student should receive five or more evaluations. 5) A mentor system was introduced in 2005. According to our findings and the results of the“ World Café” held on the same day with trainee dentists and fifth-year students, we identified the following means of improving our clinical training system. First, students under clinical training are now permitted to participate in case-report conferences of trainee dentists, as of 2011. This program was introduced based on the concept of top-down processing to help students form perceptions about cases and treatment. Second, the necessity of a faculty-development program focused on clinical training is recognized, to standardize and improve the guidance given to students by advising doctors. Third, the mentor system and the“ World Café” need more attention as elements of clinical training to support students and motivate improvement
