Write up several problems that might arise during dental school, or during a career as a dentist. Some examples might be that a student misses a deadline for his dental boards, or does not log as many hours as required with dental practices. Other problems include a patient that proves to be difficult to work with, and a patient who has an allergic reaction while the dentist is working. Write the problems in short paragraphs to give adequate descriptions of them.
Ask dental students to write a half-page description of what they would do to solve three of the problems you have come up with. Students should use their space to explain exactly what they would do if they were in the situations that you describe.
Divide students into small groups and read each group one of your problem scenarios. Ask students to act out a response to the problem, so they can show you how it would be solved.
Assess both the written answers to the problems, and the acted out group answers to determine what a particular student's level of problem solving skills is, within the dental program itself. Use this information to guide your choices about other things to cover or in which directions your instruction should go.