Journal of dental education
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The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of a tiered predoctoral pediatric dentistry clinical education model to competency achievement by dental students over a two-year clinical education. Retrospective data were obtained for academic years 2012-13 and 2013-14 from three sources: a campus-based, dental school-housed clinic; division-directed clinics in community-based pediatric and special needs clinics (DDC); and clinics affiliated with the dental college's community-based dental education (CBDE) program, the OHIO Project (OP). A fourth dataset was obtained for the same two-year period from a biannual clinic event held at the college in conjunction with Give Kids a Smile Day (GKAS). ⋯ Numbers of diagnostic and preventive procedures were 19,441, restorative procedures were 13,958, and pulp and surgical procedures were 7,392. Site contribution ranged from 52.2 to 144.9 procedures per attending student, with the DDC yielding the highest per student average for each year (126.4 and 144.9) and the dental school clinic the lowest (52.2 and 53.1). This study found that a combination of school-based, community-based, and philanthropic pediatric dental experiences offered a large number of essential pediatric dentistry experiences for predoctoral dental students, with CBDE opportunities offering the largest contribution.
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In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for interprofessional education (IPE) to be adopted by the health professions education community as the pedagogical approach to educating future practitioners for practice in multidisciplinary teams. In dentistry, this call built on points made in the key 1995 IOM report Dental Education at the Crossroads. Currently, IPE and collaborative practice are among the most significant changes to health care education and delivery in the 21st century. ⋯ Interprofessional core competencies occupy four of the top five content areas of IPE programming, providing a framework for schools to implement IPE activities. However, finding the bandwidth within the dental curriculum to accommodate IPE competencies, identifying adequate time in the schedule, providing faculty training, and assessing IPE activities were the most frequently reported challenges. The results of this survey lead to recommendations for academic dental institutions moving through this transitional phase in adopting IPE.
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The effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to change health behaviors is well documented. Previous studies support use of MI to change oral health behaviors in the areas of early childhood caries and periodontal diseases, but research is limited due to the sparse number of oral health care providers with training in MI. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) formally integrated MI training into its dental hygiene curriculum five years ago. ⋯ The participants approved of their MI instruction as a whole but felt it was difficult and sometimes not viable in practice. They reported that MI training had improved their communication skills and increased treatment acceptance. Time, difficulty, and managing patient resistance were the most often cited barriers, while a supportive climate and creating a routine were the most often cited facilitators.
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The aims of this study were to assess dental students' perceptions of their preparedness for providing treatment for tobacco dependence and to determine if their training resulted in successful practice in the dental school clinic. Since the tobacco dependence treatment program began at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, all third- and fourth-year dental students have been required to complete an online survey about their attitudes and experience with tobacco dependence treatment. This descriptive study and retrospective analysis utilized these survey data from the initiation of the program in fall 2002 through 2010 (615 third-year and 590 fourth-year students, for a total of 1,205, all of whom participated in the surveys). ⋯ S. tobacco users that general studies have found are interested in quitting. These students' perception of such low patient interest reflects a misconception they may have about their own preparedness, and it suggests a barrier exists for them in providing effective tobacco dependence treatment services. This perception signals a need for curriculum and assessment changes to increase the effectiveness of this school's tobacco dependence treatment program.
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Comparative Study
Dental students' ability to assess their performance in a preclinical restorative course: comparison of students' and faculty members' assessments.
Dental education consists of both theoretical and practical learning for students to develop competence in treating patients clinically. When dental students encounter practical courses in their first year as a new educational experience, they must also learn to evaluate themselves. Self-evaluation is an essential skill to learn for dental professionals to keep increasing their competence over the course of their careers. ⋯ Self-evaluation scores did not indicate whether the third-year students tended to over- or underestimate the quality of their own work. However, the second-year students not only overestimated themselves but thought they were above average. The results point to the need to develop students' self-insight with more exercises and practical training.