Background: A national survey was undertaken to establish a baseline of our final year students' perception of how their undergraduate oral surgery education has equipped them for key areas of general dental practice.

The findings show that, controlling for expectancy bias and variability in baseline levels, IODs significantly increase patient satisfaction, dental function and quality of life over and above those achieved with good quality CCDs.

There is growing evidence to support the contention that interprofessional education (IPE) at both pre and post-qualification levels will improve professionals' abilities to work more effectively in a team and to communicate more effectively with colleagues and patients. This body of evidence, however, is primarily concerned with nursing, medical and associated professionals and students, and there are few studies that include dental students and particularly where learning occurs with the dental care professions (DCP). The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of dental and DCP students to IPE and to highlight some of the barriers to developing programmes for these students. It was also intended to examine the students' awareness of dental and DCP roles and responsibilities. Two questionnaires, the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and a dental roles and responsibilities questionnaire, were distributed to all 5 years of dental students (n = 189) based at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), both years of the dental hygiene students (n = 8) also based at QUB, as well as to final year dental nursing students based at Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education (BIFHE) (n = 64). The results indicated that dental and DCP students had a positive attitude to IPE as a means to improve teamwork and communication skills but there are potential obstacles as demonstrated by the differing perceptions of each of the three groups about the roles of the other. Some aspects of practice, involving personal care and advice to patients, were regarded by all groups as a shared role but the dental hygiene students regarded themselves as having a shared role in several tasks identified by dental and dental nurse students as the sole role of the dentist. Dental hygiene students in this study did not see their role as primarily to support the dentist but more as a partner in care. Professional identity and its development are issues that must be considered by dental and DCP educators developing IPE initiatives.

Background: Gingival overgrowth is a common side effect following the administration of cyclosporin A (CsA); however, the cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. CsA's immunosuppressant properties involve the regulation of synthesis and cellular response to cytokines. A CsA‐induced alteration in the cytokine profile within gingival tissue could provide a mechanism for gingival hyperplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CsA on the production of 2 cytokines — interleukin‐1ß(IL‐1ß) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) — by both gingival fibroblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Methods: Cells were stimulated for 24 hours in the presence of CsA over a concentration range of 100 to 2,000 ng/ml and the resultant cytokine production determined by ELISA. In addition, levels of both cytokines within normal, inflamed, and overgrown gingival tissue were determined. Results: CsA inhibited IL‐6 production by gingival fibroblasts in a dose‐dependent manner. In contrast, at a concentration of 2,000 ng/ml, CsA stimulated IL‐6 production by PBMC ( P< 0.05). Fibroblasts derived from overgrown gingiva produced significantly higher levels of IL‐6 than their normal counterparts ( P <0.05). CsA inhibited IL‐1ßproduction by PBMC over the whole concentration range ( P <0.05). IL‐1ßwas not found in measurable quantities in any of the fibroblast cultures. Levels of IL‐6 extracted from overgrown gingival tissue were significantly higher than in inflamed or normal tissue. In contrast IL‐1ßlevels in overgrown tissue were not statistically significantly greater than those in inflamed tissue. Conclusions: These results show that CsA does regulate cytokine expression in gingival tissue. This effect may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CsA‐induced gingival overgrowth. J Periodontol 1999;70:294‐300.

Interprofessional education (IPE) should help to promote a team-based approach to professional practice but there are barriers to its implementation including professional identity. The aim of this study was to use a qualitative research methodology to explore dental and dental care professional (DCP) students' perceptions of professional roles and identities in the dental team. Data were collected by means of focus groups from a purposive sample of dental and DCP students and were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using an explanatory framework. Five common themes emerged around the issue of professional roles and identity in the dental team. The results indicate that professional identity was an important factor in team development and was determined by direct responsibility for patient care and by the amount of clinical experience acquired. Professional identity within a team context was perceived as different from professional identity per se. Dental students were found to lack confidence in their role as team leaders which was related to their lack of knowledge of team roles, responsibilities and experience. The role of the dental technician was perceived as 'outside' the dental team due to lack of patient interaction.