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Abstract

Background/purpose:

Competency-based medical education (CBME) and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been adopted in medical education as frameworks to align training with real-world clinical practice. Although international dental education has begun to explore EPA-based assessment, the implementation of CBME in dentistry remains inconsistent and underdeveloped, particularly in Taiwan. This narrative review aimed to summarize global and local developments in CBME and EPAs, identify current gaps in Taiwanese dental education, and clarify the rationale for examining faculty readiness in future CBME implementation.

Materials and methods:

A narrative literature review incorporating international and Taiwan-specific sources

was conducted and thematically synthesized to examine CBME and EPAs in dental education.

Results:

A total of 25 publications were included and categorized into five thematic

domains covering global CBME and EPA frameworks, faculty perspectives,

international dental applications, Taiwan-specific initiatives, and

experiences from allied health professions.

Conclusion:

This review highlights the expanding adoption of CBME and EPAs in global health professions education, alongside their still limited and uneven implementation in dental education, particularly in Taiwan. While early initiatives such as the Clinical dental skills examination (CDSE), the postgraduate year dental (PGYD) 6+2 model, and pilot dental EPAs provide a foundation, further progress requires stronger faculty development, clearer entrustment processes, and coherent assessment systems. Coordinated national strategies and shared EPA frameworks will be essential to support a sustainable, competency-based culture in Taiwanese dental education.

Publication Date

2026

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