Identification of essential competencies for the pediatric dentistry curriculum at Damascus University: A Delphi study

Copy igh © 2025 Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences. Published by Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial 4.0 In e na ional license (h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by- nc/4.0/). Noncomme cial uses o he wo k a e pe mi ed, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y: A Delphi s udy Fa ah Babaku d1, Ma iam Sha a 1, Maysoon Dashash2* 1Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o Den is y, Damascus Uni e si y, Sy ia. 2Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o Den is y, Damascus. .Uni e si y, Sy ia A icle in o Abs ac In oduc ion Compe ency-Based Medical Educa ion (CBME) is an ou come-o ien ed app oach ocused on designing, implemen ing, and e alua ing educa ional p og ams [1]. I s i s aim is o iden i y he skills, knowledge, and p o essional a i udes ha lea ne s should be able o p ac ice independen ly [2]. Knowledge en ails acqui ing, e aining, and e ec i ely u ilizing in o ma ion, equi ing men al e o and he capaci y o g asp concep s while dis inguishing be ween igh and w ong. While skill aims o ep esen he p ac ical applica ion o knowledge and es ablished ules, leading o ac ions guided by speci ic e hical p inciples, an example o ha is balancing expec ed bene i s wi h po en ial isks. A i ude e e s o p edisposi ions ha A icle his o y: Recei ed 23 Aug. 2024 Accep ed 5 Feb. 2025 Published 14 Ap . 2025 Babaku d e al. J Med Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 65-75 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen Backg ound & Objec i e: Global educa ion is ocusing on he signi icance o de eloping compe ency-based cu icula nowadays. This s udy aims o es ablish a comp ehensi e se o essen ial compe encies in pedia ic den is y designa ed o he cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y o ensu e ha he g adua es a e equipped wi h he knowledge, skills, and p o essional a i udes o deli e e ec i e pedia ic den al ca e. Ma e ials & Me hods: This quali a i e explo a o y s udy used Delphi echniques o build a consensus among expe s on he co e compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y in 2024. This s udy used wo sequen ial quali a i e me hods: a ocus g oup and he Delphi echnique. A ocus g oup was conduc ed wi h one medical educa ion expe and h ee specialis s in pedia ic den is y o de elop an ini ial lis o compe encies. This lis was assessed using a wo- ound Delphi echnique u ilized o his pu pose. 25 pa icipa ed in he p ocess, and ou o he 34 expe s in i ed, Compe encies ha ga ne ed a leas 80% ag eemen among he expe s we e included in he inal lis . The analysis included desc ip i e s a is ics such as mean and s anda d de ia ion. Resul s: The s udy iden i ied 47 co e compe encies, o which 15 we e ela ed o knowledge: ac s and concep s in pedia ic den is y; 21 we e ela ed o skills: abili ies o pe o m an ac i i y o a ask; and 11 we e ela ed o a i udes: eelings o opinions ha guide beha io .Conclusion: The applica ion o heo e ical knowledge acqui ed in a ious aspec s o clinical educa ion is hampe ed by di e se challenges. These challenges mani es a di e en le els, encompassing managemen , policy, in as uc u e, and human and ma e ial esou ces. P io i izing iden i ied issues and implemen ing co ec i e ac ions based on exis ing capaci ies is he ini ial s ep in o e coming hese challenges. Conclusion: Iden i ying a comp ehensi e amewo k o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y has been success ully es ablished. This amewo k is good because i aligns di e en ly wi h global educa ion ends. S ill, i aims o imp o e he den al ca e p o ided by u u e p ac i ione s. The esul s will be an asse o he cu iculum de elope s and educa o s in pedia ic den is y o ensu e ha g adua es a e be e equipped o p o ide quali y ca e o hei young pa ien s. Keywo ds: pedia ic den is y, educa ional cu icula, compe ency-based medical educa ion, Delphi echnique. *Co esponding au ho : Maysoon Dashash, Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o Den is y, Damascus. .Uni e si y, Sy ia Email: [email protected] O iginal A icle How o ci e his a icle: Babaku d F, Sha a M, Dashash M. Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y: A Delphi s udy. J Med Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 65-75. [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 1 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum 66 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025 shape how esponding o a pa icula si ua ion di e s indi idually, including in e p e ing e en s, o ganizing opinions in o cohe en s uc u es (such as alues), and a icula ing e hical ac ions [3]. These compe encies a e de ined acco ding o he needs o pa ien s, he communi y, and he heal h ca e sys em [4]. The ad an ages o CBME include de eloping compe en clinicians who can wo k h ough p oblem-based lea ning, communica e e ec i ely, and hink c i ically [5]. As we all know, o g adua es, compe ency-based educa ion was i s adop ed by he Uni e si y o Pue o Rico, one o he den al schools. Then, he Ame ican Associa ion o Den al Schools ook he leade ship ole in o ganizing he execu ion o his educa ional model in a ious special ies [6]. Mo e ecen ly, he Na ional Den al Examining Boa d o Canada has designed a compe ency s anda d ha is conside ed su icien o ce i ica e awa ds o den al g adua es [7]. Pedia ic den is y, also known as pedodon is s, is a special y ha p o ides bo h p ima y and comp ehensi e p e en i e and he apeu ic den al ca e o child en om bi h h ough adolescence, including hose wi h special needs [8]. This special y inco po a es, in addi ion o he dis inc echniques speci ically designed o add ess child en's unique equi emen s, a a ie y o skills and p ocedu es ha a e common o o he den al disciplines [9]. Consequen ly, wha is i al in pedia ic den is y is ocusing on e idence-based in e en ions—whe he p e en i e, diagnos ic, o - he apeu ic [10]. The cu en cu iculum co e s essen ial opics in pedia ic den is y, including beha io managemen echniques, p e en i e and es o a i e ea men s, auma ca e, and p e en i e and in e en ional o hodon ics. On he con a y, i lacks mode niza ion, dep h, and imely upda es on he la es ad ancemen s in hese a eas [11]. Howe e , wha is eg e able is ha he e is cu en ly no s anda dized cu iculum o pedia ic den is y, esul ing in subs an ial a ia ion in educa ional con ex ac oss di e en egions. Many ac o s in luence his dispa i y, including egional socie al and capaci y [12]. Recen ly, he e has been a mo emen owa ds es ablishing uni e sally accep ed compe encies and de ining quali y s anda ds in educa ion on e e y con inen . These e o s o co e cu icula a e expec ed o p omo e he exchange o expe iences and enhance communica ion and collabo a ion among p o essionals wo ldwide [13]. The aim is o ocus and s uc u e educa ional p og ams, and his pape a gues o de eloping a global compe ency-based cu iculum in pedia ic den is y. I asse s ha adop ing a CBME amewo k can achie e such an ou come. This app oach e ec i ely os e s he necessa y skills, knowledge, and a i udes among lea ne s [14, 15]. Es ablishing he CBME amewo k is c ucial o iden i ying he compe encies equi ed o pe o m he job [16]. Va ious echniques, including expe panels and c i ical assessmen s, ha e been employed o de e mine he compe encies, lea ne su eys, and ask analysis [17]. The Delphi echnique is mo e p ecisely a sys ema ic me hod de eloped o collec expe opinions on opics ha may no come unde exis ing knowledge and concep s by consensus [18]. This me hod makes i easie o a g oup o expe s engaging in s uc u ed, epe i i e discussions o de i e collec i e judgmen s, o en mo e insigh ul han indi idual opinions [19]. While adi ional su eys ypically de e mine 'wha is' he Delphi me hod ocuses on "wha should be" [20]. The ad an ages o he Delphi echnique a e eliabili y, di e si y o expe opinions, and he capaci y o be conduc ed emo ely wi hou ace- o- ace in e ac ion [21]. This me hod allows expe s o communica e anonymously and easily o exchange in o ma ion, encou aging independen hough . We can enhance he alidi y o he con en by engaging expe s in mul iple e iew ounds. Mo eo e , o objec i i y's sake, he echnique upholds anonymi y and con iden iali y o a oid he in luence o dominan indi iduals, g oup p essu es, and g oup hink. This anonymi y encou ages he ee and ank exp ession o opinion, and epea ing e iew ounds allows pa icipan s o econside hei ideas, u he enhancing he obus ness o indings [22]. The Delphi echnique has been used ex ensi ely in heal h o each consensus and de e mine compe encies in medical special ies [23-26]. This s udy aims o es ablish a comple e umb ella se o essen ial compe encies in pedia ic den is y, adap ed o he cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y, o enable g adua es o possess he knowledge, skills, and p o essional a i udes necessa y o e ec i e pedia ic den al ca e. Ma e ials & Me hods Design and se ing(s) This is a quali a i e explo a o y s udy wi h Delphi elemen s o build expe consensus on he co e compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y in 2024. Two sequen ial quali a i e me hods, ocus g oup and Delphi echnique, we e used. The cu en esea ch has been app o ed by he Scien i ic Resea ch E hics Commi ee o Damascus Uni e si y, [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 2 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 67 No. 482, da ed 04/02/2024. W i en in o med consen was sough om he su ey pa icipan s and a ached o he on page o he e-ques ionnai e. This s udy was ca ied ou acco ding o he ecommenda ions o Delphi S udies (CREDES) [27]. Pa icipan s and sampling The p incipal esea che s, F.B. and M.S., p epa ed an ini ial lis o 113 i ems h ough a comp ehensi e e iew o he medical li e a u e and global compe encies [28] and in e iews wi h membe s o he Sy ian Associa ion o Pedia ic Den is y, he Den al Associa ion, and p o esso s o pedia ic den is y a public and p i a e uni e si ies who a e physicians. Acknowledging ha he Delphi Technique has been app o ed o e ime, i is quali a i e as i ga he s subjec i e opinions and insigh s om expe s; adi ional coding migh no be di ec ly in ol ed. This echnique has been employed by designing a lis o sugges ed compe encies and ga he ing expe opinions o achie e consensus. The supe iso , an M.D., an expe in medical educa ion, e iewed and e ined he ini ial lis , made he necessa y changes, adjus ed he wo ding o some compe encies, and added o emo ed i ems o ensu e cla i y and comp ehension. Following his, a ocus g oup o ou expe s (one in medical educa ion and h ee in pedia ics) e iewed he ini ial lis and made necessa y modi ica ions. As a esul , 63 i ems we e ag eed upon, documen ed, and ca ego ized in o knowledge, skills, and a i udes. Tools/Ins umen s The ques ionnai e was designed on Google Fo ms, an online su ey pla o m. I was composed o 6 sec ions. Sec ion 1 was an in oduc ion explaining he pu pose o he s udy and he policy p o ec ing he p i acy and con iden iali y o he pa icipan s' da a. Each ully comple ed ques ionnai e was assigned an iden i ica ion code o keep i anonymous, conside ed one o he majo aspec s o Delphi su eys. Besides, an implied ag eemen is clea ly s a ed.Sec ion 2 ga he ed in o ma ion on demog aphics: gende and yea s o p ac ice. Sec ions 3, 4, and 5 iden i ied he co e knowledge, skills, and a i udes compe encies. Sec ion 6 had a ee ex ield whe e he esponden could sugges a new compe ency no lis ed in he p elimina y lis . Da a collec ion me hods Delphi expe panel Acco ding o Dalkey, Delphi expe s a e indi iduals wi h knowledge and skills in a speci ic ield who mee ou equi emen s: knowledge and expe ience o he issue, abili y and willingness o pa icipa e, su icien ime o pa icipa e in he Delphi, and e ec i e communica ion skills [29]. In line wi h hese c i e ia, 34 expe s we e in i ed o pa icipa e, comp ising acul y membe s om public and p i a e uni e si ies and di ec o s o aining and specializa ion p og ams wi hin he Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y o he Sy ian Socie y o Pedia ic Den is y. Each expe had a minimum o 5 yea s o expe ience. Ou o hose in i ed, 25 expe s esponded, esul ing in a esponse a e o 73.5%. Delphi p o ocol- i s ound Du ing he i s ound, expe s we e asked o a e he impo ance o each compe ency on a i e-poin Like scale (1 o "s ongly disag ee" o 5 o "s ongly ag ee"). They we e also encou aged o commen on any compe encies hey el should be changed o added. The i s - ound su ey deadline was wo weeks, and eminde s we e sen o hose who s ill needed o espond on he se en h day. Delphi da a analysis- i s ound The compe encies we e e iewed based on expe eedback in he i s ound. Addi ional compe encies sugges ed in he ee- ex commen s we e included in he second ound. Da a was collec ed, and weigh ed esponses we e calcula ed o each compe ency. Delphi p o ocol-second ound: The second ound consis ed o a lis sen o all expe s o e-e alua e he impo ance o each compe ency since his lis included all compe encies. Thei co esponding weigh ed esponses we e c ea ed, adding he new compe encies sugges ed du ing he i s ound. Thus, he upda ed e sion was sen o hem on a i e-poin Like scale, conside ing hei colleagues' esponses om he i s Delphi ound. The second su ey deadline was wo weeks, and a eminde was sen on he se en h day. The i s ound occu ed on 14/03/2024, and he second on 15/04/2024. Delphi da a analysis-second ound The ag eemen below was ex ac ed using a common app oach: he pe cen age ag eemen me hod, which es ablishes consensus in he Delphi echnique. This me hod only lis s compe encies whe e a leas 80% o expe s ag ee. Da a analysis Da a analysis was done using he IBM SPSS s a is ical package, wi h desc ip i e s a is ics such as he mean o [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 3 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum 68 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025 esponses on he Like scale used o de e mine he di ec ion o he esponse and he s anda d de ia ion used o gauge he homogenei y o he esponses. See Figu e 1 o he s udy low cha . Figu e 1. Flow cha o he s udy Resul s O he 34 physicians in i ed o pa icipa e in he ques ionnai e, 25 expe physicians esponded, esul ing in a esponse a e o 73.5%. Fo de ails on he demog aphic cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan s, please e e o Table 1. Du ing he ocus g oup mee ings, a p elimina y lis o 63 compe encies was iden i ied: 16 in he knowledge domain, 31 in he skills domain, and 16 in he a i ude domain. Demog aphic cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan sTable 1. Cha ac e is ics n (%) Gende 17 (68) Female 8 (32) Male Yea s o expe ience 16 (64) 5-10 yea s 9 (36) Mo e han 10 yea s Abb e ia ions: n, numbe o pa icipan s; %, pe cen age. [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 4 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 69 In he i s ound o he Delphi p ocess, h ee addi ional compe encies we e sugges ed, wo o which we e added o he knowledge domain and one o he skills domain. This b ough he o al o 66 compe encies, dis ibu ed as ollows: 18 in he knowledge domain, 32 in he skills domain, and 16 in he a i ude domain. Compe encies wi h a weigh ed esponse o 2.5 o highe we e conside ed du ing he i s Delphi ound. Fou compe encies (one om he knowledge domain and he o he s om he a i ude domain) we e excluded. This le 62 compe encies o he second ound, dis ibu ed as ollows: 17 wi hin he knowledge domain, 32 wi hin he skills domain, and 13 wi hin he a i ude domain. The second Delphi ound e alua ed he 62 compe encies by 25 expe s. The le el o ag eemen esponses anged om neu al o ag ee o s ongly ag ee, wi h a low s anda d de ia ion showing some homogenei y and ag eemen among he expe s. The las basic lis was limi ed o he compe encies a ed on a e age highe han 4.21 (80%, being ‘s ongly ag ee’) as alid compe encies. Hence, 15 compe encies ( wo om he knowledge domain, ele en om he skills domain, and wo om he a i udes domain) ha ob ained an a e age a ing o less han 4.21 we e dele ed (Appendix 1). Appendix 2 p esen s he essen ial compe encies assumed o pos g adua e s uden s o he Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y. The compe encies we e de eloped h ough he Delphi echnique and consis o 47 i ems, 15 o which a e on he cogni i e dimension, 21 on he skills dimension, and 11 on he a i udinal dimension. Discussion This s udy ocuses on he undamen al compe encies ha pos g adua e s uden s should possess o o e quali y se ices o pa ien s wi hou comp omising social accoun abili y. The ocus is mos ce ainly on enhancing he quali y o educa ion and aining, which equi es de eloping an in eg a ed cou se o ill he educa ional gaps [30]. A modi ied Delphi echnique has been employed o inc ease he likelihood o eaching a consensus in compe ency iden i ica ion in medical educa ion. I comp ises delibe a e and p og essi e in e ac ions o a speci ic g oup o specialis s, and he consensus is eached h ough a se o sys ema ic, in e ac i e p ocedu es whe eby each pa icipan can change hei iew and include new ones i needed [31]. This s udy cons i u es he i s a emp o de ine all necessa y compe encies o pos g adua e s uden s o pedia ic den is y cu icula. The Delphi me hod was applied, and as a esul , he panel o 25 expe s ag eed on 47 compe encies a anged in h ee speci ic a eas. These compe encies will be he i s s ep owa d o mula ing a compe encies-based p og am ocusing on pedia ic den is y. The lis inco po a es impo an knowledge and compe encies ha co e gene al and beha io managemen concep s ela ed o pedia ic den is y. I also ouches upon gene al pedia ics and i s sub- special ies, dealing wi h medically comp omised and child en wi h special needs, managemen o pain, o al medicine and su ge y, echniques o seda ion and gene al anes hesia, den al ma e ials, in e cep i e o hodon ics, pha macology, epidemiology, p e en ion, es o a i e den is y, den al auma, esea ch design, s a is ics, den al and maxillo acial adiology. Besides, he se includes he du ies ha he p ac i ione s will pe o m. They mus pe o m ou ine diagnos ic and he apeu ic measu es, ca e o pa ien s and hei eelings and needs, and build us . Dedica ion o sel -e olu ion, pa ien sa e y and con iden iali y, adhe ence o legal p ocedu es, and ob aining in o med consen a e c ucial aspec s o a den is 's p o essional du y. The op imal size o expe s pa icipa ing in Delphi s udies a ies and anges om 5 o mo e han 1000 pa icipan s [32]. Loo emphasized ha he pu pose ul selec ion o expe s yields consensual da a a he han la ge, andomly selec ed numbe s [33]. A sys ema ic e iew de e mined ha mos Delphi s udies included ≥ 25 pa icipan s [32]. Only se en expe s we e included in he Delphi s udy by Dalkey and Helme [34]. In compa ison, his s udy included 25 pedia ic den is y expe s wi h a esponse a e o 73.5%. Answe s we e eco ded using a i e-poin Like scale, including a neu al poin . Elimina ing he neu al poin may p omp esponden s o adop a clea e s ance. Howe e , i s dele ion esul s in a dis o ion in he esponses owa d nega i e esponses, pa icula ly in he case o ambi alen esponden s [35]. This s udy employed wo esea ch me hodologies. Fi s , a ocus g oup me hod was used o c ea e an ini ial lis o compe encies. Second, he Delphi echnique was used o es uc u e and de elop a lis o co e compe encies based on ecommenda ions om p e ious s udies [36]. The knowledge compe ency wi h he highes sco e was "cons uc e ec i e and app op ia e p e en i e plans o child en wi h den al ca ies." This is c ucial due o he signi icance o p e en i e s a egies in hal ing ca ies de elopmen in child en. T adi ional pedia ic den is y esidency p og am cu icula ha e excessi ely [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 5 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum 70 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025 emphasized es o a i e den is y while neglec ing ea ly diagnosis and p e en i e managemen . This has con ibu ed o a conce ning inc ease in de ec ed, missing, and illed ee h (DMFT) indica o s in ecen epidemiological s udies conduc ed in Sy ia [37]. I is impo an o emphasize ha p e en i e den is y cons i u es he mos essen ial componen o aining in pedia ic den is y, as p e en ion is he ounda ion o he special y. P e ious s udies ha e epo ed simila indings, highligh ing ha mos uni e si ies in B azil and Malaysia emphasize he knowledge and applica ion o p e en i e ma e ials in unde g adua e den al educa ion [38, 39]. The highes sco e ega ding skill compe encies was "c i ically app aise biomedical esea ch and clinical esea ch pape s." Main aining compe ency and con inuing p o essional de elopmen a e essen ial o p o iding up- o-da e, high-quali y pa ien ca e. The pos g adua e s uden s will be able o con iden ly ake esponsibili y o pedia ic p oblems ega ding e idence-based p ac ice. They need o be equipped o esea ch, selec , analyze c i ically, and apply alid in o ma ion based on e idence o sus ain li elong lea ning. Resea ch s udies in Chile and La in Ame ica ha e suppo ed he scien i ic basis ha eaching and p o essional de elopmen in ol e esea ch. These s udies ha e also emphasized a need o mo e suppo , encou agemen , and p omo ion o esea ch cul u e wi hin den al schools [40]. A s udy assessing he educa ional p og am gi en o pos g adua e s uden s in pedia ic den is y in Egyp e ealed a eas o imp o emen ega ding scien i ic esea ch. This was a ibu ed o a need o mo e su icien a en ion paid by acul y membe s o esea ch and he lack o inancial esou ces as signi ican obs acles o pos g adua e esea ch [41]. The da a indica ed ha "compliance wi h in ec ion con ol p ac ices" was he mos impo an a i ude compe ency. This compe ency is c ucial because in ec ion con ol p o ec s pa ien s and heal hca e wo ke s, including pedia ic den is s. Den is s wo k in an en i onmen cha ac e ized by close con ac wi h pa ien s and he p oduc ion o ae osols; he e o e, he chances o in ec ion ansmission om an in ec ed pa ien a e e y high. Thus, pedia ic den is s should be in o med and educa ed on he absolu e adhe ence o in ec ion con ol. A ecen e iew o eme ging i al diseases in he new millennium concluded ha in ec ion con ol is as impo an in den al p ac ice as unde s anding o al mani es a ions and diagnosing and managing i al in ec ions [42]. Ano he impo an bene i o his s udy would be o aid he cu iculum planne s in making a pedia ic den is y cu iculum comp ising a p io i ized lis o compe encies es ablished by expe s. The e a e se e al limi a ions o he Delphi su ey. Fi s , he epe i i eness o he su ey se may easily cause a loss o in e es in he pa icipan s o e ime, hence pu ing p essu e on he s udy supe iso s o keep he pa icipan s' mo i a ion going a e e e y ound. Secondly, a ge ed pos g adua e s uden s pa icipa ing in he s udy did no con ibu e o de eloping hese compe encies and hus may no be e lec ed in he iden i ied compe encies. The e o e, a comp ehensi e e iew o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum is equi ed o c ea e app op ia e s uc u ed cu icula guidelines ha answe he needs o lea ne s and he communi y. These guidelines should s anda dize he con en o unde g adua e pedia ic den is y cu icula in keeping wi h con empo a y e idence-based den is y, ecommend he mos e ec i e educa ional me hodology o deli e ing his con en , and sugges he mos app op ia e assessmen ools in ligh o he need o adop a compe ency-based app oach. Conclusion Fo y-se en compe encies ha e been iden i ied ha a e expec ed o acili a e pedia ic den is s' p o iding he highes quali y pa ien heal h ca e. These compe encies will also con ibu e o decision-make s de eloping mo e ocused educa ional cu icula ha can d ama ically enhance he e olu ion o compe ency-based educa ion in pedia ic den is y. E hical conside a ions This s udy go he E hical Commi ee's app o al, Damascus Uni e si y, No. 482, on 04/02/2024, and i was men ioned in he in oduc o y pa ag aph ha his is an in o med consen while illing ou he elec onic su ey o m. A i icial in elligence u iliza ion o a icle w i ing G amma ly was used o co ec g amma , punc ua ion, spelling, and pa aph asing in a c i ical e iew acco ding o he e hical code. Acknowledgmen The au ho s would like o hank all pa icipa ing s uden s and e e yone who p o ided commen s and sugges ions ha imp o ed his s udy. [ DOI: 10.61186/edcj.18.1.65 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ] 6 / 11 Babaku d e al . : Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 71 Con lic o in e es s a emen The au ho s con i m ha hey ha e no con lic ing inancial in e es s o pe sonal ela ionships ha could bias he wo k epo ed in his pape . Au ho con ibu ions FB and MS collec ed he ocus g oup da a and employed he Delphi echnique. MD o e saw he s udy's design and execu ion. FB and MD con ibu ed o da a analysis, in e p e a ion, and manusc ip d a ing and e iewed he manusc ip be o e submission. 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