European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe
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The aim of this study was to evaluate dental students' self-perceived communication skills for patient motivation over the course of their training. ⋯ Though dental students in this study demonstrated a steady increase in their level of comfort motivating patients to utilise oral hygiene instructions, they also expressed the desire for more motivational training early in their curriculum. Therefore, these results may indicate the need to enhance communications training in patient motivation on all behavioural aspects early in the dental curriculum.
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This study explored, and compared, the attitudes of student groups trained at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (UPDA) in 2010/2011 towards dental interprofessional education (IPE). ⋯ The findings suggest that IPE was perceived as beneficial in relation to teamwork; however, the study raises issues regarding professional identity and roles. Educators should consider differing perceptions of professional roles and identities when planning and delivering interprofessional programmes.
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Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a major health problem which causes blood oxygen desaturation that may initiate a cascade of events via inflammatory cytokines and adrenocorticotrophic hormone that may have impact upon quality of life and lead to potential life-threatening events. Even though OSA affects an increasing number of individuals, the role of dental practitioners in recognition, screening and management has not developed accordingly. The goal of this article was to provide updated information to dental practitioners on pathophysiology, consequences and treatment options of OSA with a focused discussion on oral appliance (OA) therapy, as this topic is not routinely included in current dental curricula of many dental schools. Additionally, we present a template dental curriculum for predoctoral and/or postdoctoral students in education regarding sleep disordered breathing.
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Assessment of practical skills in undergraduate dental education has difficulties, including a lack of transparency/objectivity in student evaluations. This prospective study investigated whether agreement between student- and faculty-based assessments increased when students were trained to use the assessment criteria. ⋯ Pre-defined assessment criteria may increase consistency between student self-assessment and instructor assessment depending on the task, improving transparency and feedback in dental education.
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Peer assessment and feedback is encouraged to enhance students' learning. The aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse pre-clinical and clinical dental students' written peer feedback provided as part of a continuous, formative and structured peer assessment protocol. ⋯ A structured peer assessment framework can be used to guide pre-clinical and clinical students to provide peer feedback focused on different domains, and on contrasting signs and specificities. It can also present an opportunity to complement tutors' feedback.