Journal Article

Bridging competency gaps: developing entrustable professional activities for undergraduate oral and maxillofacial surgery training

Haider, Sonia Ijaz, Nasir, Saqif, Fatimah, Saduq, Siddiqui, Saima, Zaidi, Syed Jaffar Abbas, Jameel, Rafey Ahmad

2026

Overview

Background Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) translate competency domains into observable clinical tasks and support workplace-based assessment in undergraduate Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS). This study aimed to develop a context-specific set of OMFS EPAs for final-year BDS students and evaluate their quality and reliability using the Queen’s EQual rubric. Methods A consensus-generating mixed-methods design was employed using a purposive expert panel ( n  = 10). The Nominal Group Technique was used to generate and prioritise EPAs, followed by structured rating on a 5-point Likert scale and iterative refinement. EPA quality was evaluated using the 14-item EQual rubric. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, generalizability theory (phi coefficient), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results Ten experts (60% male; five specialists, four general dentists, and one medical educationist) completed all study phases. Ten EPAs were developed. The highest consensus (9/10) was achieved for history-taking, diagnostic testing and imaging, informed consent, and non-surgical care, whereas lower consensus was observed for preventive and follow-up care (3/10) and orofacial pain and anxiety management (4/10). Most EPAs (8/10) were judged by a majority as not requiring revision; however, the EPAs addressing orofacial pain and anxiety management and preventive and follow-up care were most frequently identified for refinement ( n  ≥ 6; mean ratings 3.60 and 3.40, respectively). All EPAs exceeded the predefined EQual cut score (4.07), with overall mean scores ranging from 4.26 to 4.41 (SD 0.16–0.23) and high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). Reliability evidence indicated excellent dependability (phi = 0.987 for specialists; 0.888 for general dentists) and strong inter-rater agreement (ICC = 0.969 [95% CI 0.914–0.996] for specialists; 0.964 [0.900–0.996] for general dentists; p  < 0.001). Conclusions A 10-item EPA framework for undergraduate OMFS demonstrated acceptable structural quality and strong reliability. Refinement priorities were identified for EPAs related to preventive and follow-up care and orofacial pain and anxiety management. This framework provides a structured basis for workplace-based assessment and curriculum alignment in undergraduate OMFS training.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Academic Standards / Accreditation (Institutions) / Allied Health Occupations Education / Clinical Competence - standards / Clinical Teaching (Health Professions) / Competence / Competency Based Education / Competency-Based Education - standards / Construction Materials / Course Descriptions / Curricula / Dental Schools / Dentistry / Dentists / Education / Education, Dental - standards / Educational Assessment / Educational Measurement / Educational Quality / entrustable professional activities (EPAs) / EQual Rubric / Ethics / Expectation / Feedback / Female / Graduate Students / Guidance / Health Occupations / Humans / Information Sources / Likert Scales / Male / Maxillofacial surgery / Medical Education / Medical Evaluation / Methods / mixed method / Nominal Group Technique (NGT) / Oral surgery / Professional Training / Professions / Reproducibility of Results / Standard Setting / Standard Setting (Scoring) / Study and teaching / Supervision / Surgery, Oral - education / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Training / Undergraduate Study