This study explores student perceptions of clinical teaching delivered at the Maurice Wohl Dental Centre, King's College London Dental Institute. An on-line survey together with two paper-based questionnaires were used to invite three immediate past cohorts of final-year dental students to reflect and comment on their experiences during their year of attendance. Supporting data from current student focus group and face-to-face interviews were also included in the study. The principal findings from these triangulated methodologies were that the overwhelming majority of students felt they got on very well with their teachers. The development of a positive professional relationship with the teacher appeared to motivate students to work better. Teaching thought to be overly didactic and authoritarian would not be well received. The principal teaching style identified at the Centre was considered to be supportive and nurturing, encouraging a self-motivated and reflective approach to clinical practice.

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As a general rule, the tapered-ovoid tooth form is perceived to be more desirable than the square tooth form. The dental team should therefore keep this finding in mind and liaise with the patients accordingly, in order to help to produce desirable aesthetic clinical outcomes.

The teaching of occlusion in undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland is a cornerstone of an integrated approach to the many different clinical disciplines in dentistry. This study investigated and evaluated the teaching of occlusion in undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland, the thorough understanding of which would facilitate young graduates to become competent practitioners. Material and Methods A mixed-methods approach was employed, with primary data generated and collected by using a cross sectional questionnaire-based survey which was followed-up by semi-structured interviews. The hard copy questionnaires enquired about: i) whether occlusion was taught, ii) how long was spent by schools teaching occlusion, iii) what teaching resources were employed, iv) tutors' perceptions of how well prepared for general practice new graduates were and v) how was knowledge/skill assessed. Follow-up interviews were undertaken with volunteering respondents to triangulate responses. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data was stored using the Framework Method and analysis using a thematic approach. Results 100% (n=18) of schools responded to the questionnaire. 66.67% (n=12) schools participated in follow-up interviews. All schools reported that they taught occlusion in their curriculum. Total hours reported teaching occlusion varied from 11 to 310 hours. 28% (n=5) of respondents reported insufficient time for the teaching of occlusion in the curriculum. There was a marked variation in: i) teaching methods, ii) resources employed, iii) assessment strategies to evaluate competency in occlusion and iv) how well prepared students were. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified several themes: i) variations in teaching pedagogy, ii) use of different resources, iii) variable assessment techniques, iv) evaluation of teaching and v) barriers to teaching occlusion. Conclusion This study reported on the variability in teaching occlusion between the undergraduate dental schools of the UK and Ireland. Recommendations for a coordinated teaching strategy with dedicated oversight to facilitate better student exposure to occlusion and promote student understanding of this topic is suggested.