*Corresponding Author: Chandrasekharan Nair K, Professor Emeritus, Department of Prosthodontics, Sri Sankara Dental College, Akathumuri, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

Received: September 16, 2026; Published: November 02, 2026

Learning environment (LE) is acknowledged as a vital and critical element to provide quality health profession education. Institutions, educators, and health professionals all over the world have recognised how important it is to foster a positive learning environment. A favourable LE is a predictor of not only students’ satisfaction but also their learning outcomes and academic achievement. Studies have reported a positive correlation between LE and the quality of patient care. On the contrary, less favourable LE has been observed to generate high levels of stress, depression and burnout amongst dental and medical students. To evaluate LE, different quantitative and qualitative approaches such as focus groups, semi-structured interviews and closed- ended questionnaires are used. One of the most popular validated questionnaires is the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). The DREEM inventory is a generic instrument that has been used to assess students’ perception of the LE across different health care–related fields that include dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and nursing. The wide adoption of DREEM enables comparison of the educational environment across fields and nations. Another important facet of LE is the technology enhancement. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) transforms health professions education by integrating digital tools, virtual environments, and artificial intelligence into clinical and laboratory training. Virtual simulations and telemedicine recreate realistic clinical scenarios and communication training to build diagnostic reasoning before bedside interaction. TEL is particularly impactful as it ensures that future healthcare professionals are well-prepared to meet the demands of modern medical practice. Given the continuous advancements in educational technology, there is a pressing need to examine the integration of these technologies in this field. This review emphasises that Dental Colleges should consider the learning environment as an essential component of educational quality rather than an incidental feature of the curriculum.

Keywords: Learning Environment; Dental Education; Mentoring; DREEM; Student Perception; Psychological Safety; Stress; Burnout; Feedback; Technology-Enhanced Learning

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Citation

Citation: Chandrasekharan Nair K., et al. “Learning Environment in Dental Education – A Narrative Review". Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 10:11 (2026): 48-60.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Chandrasekharan Nair K., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.