The hidden curriculum: value added in dental education.

O ptimum dental school student learning integrates biomedical science and clinical dentistry and provides numerous examples of their application and relation to life and dental practice. While the formal curriculum is the nucleus for learning, the largely uncatalogued “hidden” curriculum is the source of important out-of-class learning experiences and provides much of dental education’s real-life linkage. It is a worthy object of attention by dental educators. This article details the elements of extracurricular learning comprising the hidden curriculum. It emphasizes the important contribution made by extracurricular learning to the professional development of students. It discusses characteristics of professional work and how out-of-class learning develops these characteristics. Finally, it encourages student and graduate surveys of informal learning, and extracurricular broadening and enrichment as the best preparation for the realities of dental practice.