A Competency Matrix for Global Oral Health

Abstract

The Lancet Commission on Education of Health Professionals for the 21 st Century calls for enhancing health education for the needs and challenges of the 21st century to improve health status globally. To complement the Lancet report, this article makes recommendations for including core global health competencies in the education of health care professionals and speciic groups of the public who are relevant to oral health in a global context in order to tackle the burden of oral diseases. Experts from various professional backgrounds developed global oral health competencies for four target groups: Group 1 was deined as dental students, residents/trainee specialists (or equivalent), and dentists; Group 2 was community health workers, dental hygienists, and dental therapists (or the equivalent); Group 3 was health professionals such as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists; and Group 4 was non-health professionals in the public arena such as parents, teachers, decision makers, key opinion leaders, and health and consumer advocates. Key competencies for members of each of the four target groups are presented in a matrix. The suggested competency matrix shows that many other health professions and groups in society have potentially crucial roles in the prevention, control, and management of oral diseases globally. Workforce models including a wider range of professionals working together as a team will be needed to tackle the burden of oral diseases in an integrated way in the broader context of non-communicable diseases. Further discussion and research should be conducted to validate or improve the competencies proposed here with regard to their relevance, appropriateness, and completeness.

Bi̇ri̇nci̇ Siniftan Üçüncü Sinifa Di̇ş Heki̇mli̇ği̇ Öğrenci̇leri̇ni̇n Ve Ai̇leleri̇ni̇n Ağiz Ve Di̇ş Sağliği Hakkindaki̇ Bi̇lgi̇, Tutum Ve Davraniş

“…Bu yaklaşımlara paralel olarak Benzian ve ark. 28 da ağız hastalıklarının önlenmesi, kontrolü ve tedavisinde diğer sağlık profesyonellerinin dünya çapında önemli bir role sahip olduklarını vurgulamışlardır. Yine Davis ve ark.…”

Hierarchy-Based Competency Structure and Its Application in E-Evaluation

“…Sapp and Megan [11] define the achievement level according to the Blooms taxonomy and uses levels of Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. Meanwhile, Benzian et al [12] categorize competencies into the same three categories, but do not assign achievement level to the competency, and evaluate if the competency is achieved or not. The idea of a competency matrix is popular in public area as well [13], especially among programmers to evaluate The idea of competency level is used in different papers [10]; however, there is no unified method of the achievement level definition.…”

Competency (and Beyond): Think Patient. Collaborate. Develop. Evaluate. Improve. Repeat.

“…Across professions, competency-based approaches or competency development frameworkscontaining behavioural competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours), grouped into domains/clusters-have become increasingly accepted in education, driven by the need for clarity in the training, development, and professional recognition of health care professionals [5][6][7][8][9]. Across all frameworks or documents, competencies such as communication, patient centred care, teamwork, professionalism, health advocacy, management, and leadership are at the core for the development of the health workforce, to improve the delivery of services, and ultimately, the patients' outcomes.…”