A review of teaching of behavioural sciences in the United Kingdom dental undergraduate curriculum

McGoldrick, Pauline; Pine, C M

doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4800172a

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…This would be consistent with changes that have occurred in the UK, for example, where the requirement to teach behavioural sciences in dental schools, and the importance of paying due regard to anxiety control in particular, was not formalized until 1990. 29 However, there is no reported information on the specific content of dental curricula in Australia, or on changes over time, so the interpretation for the low amount of teaching in undergraduate curricula relating to dental anxiety is necessarily speculative.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental anxiety screening practices and self-reported training needs among Australian dentists

et al. 2014

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Background: It is recommended that dentists screen for dental anxiety (DA) so that fearful patients may be better managed. The main aim of this study was to determine what dentists are being taught in relation to DA as well as whether and how anxious patients are identified in the clinic. Methods: Two hundred and forty-six practising dentists (adjusted response rate = 40.1%), from a random sample of registered Australian dentists, completed a mailed questionnaire. Results: Dentists estimated that high DA affected 23.3% of children and 19.4% of adults seen. Only 3.7% of dentists reported using a published scale for screening DA, with the most common reason being lack of awareness (56.5%). Approximately one-half of responding dentists directly asked their patients about DA and this was more common among younger dentists (v 2 = 7.75, p = 0.021). There were few differences in DA screening by other practitioner or practice characteristics (p > 0.05). Only one-third of dentists had received undergraduate training related to DA and only 41.7% considered this to be 'good' or better. Almost 37% of respondents expressed an interest in future training opportunities. Conclusions: The use of formal, validated scales for screening DA is minimal. Training in anxiety management appears to be low and is an area that could be expanded upon.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental anxiety screening practices and self-reported training needs among Australian dentists

et al. 2014

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“…From 1990, Behavioural Sciences have become a requisite subject of dental undergraduate curricula across the UK (2). However, subject matter taught varies from school to school (4). The aim of this study was to determine the views and experiences of senior dental undergraduates in applying their behavioural sciences teaching across a range of clinical situations.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…They recommend that prior to the decision to administer general anaesthesia for dental treatment, ''due regard should be given to all aspects of behavioural management and anxiety control'' (3). Since 1990, Behavioural Sciences have become an integral part of the undergraduate dental curriculum, although the content and length of courses vary (4). Much has been written in dental journals about students' views of their competence following graduation (5,6).…”

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confidence: 99%

Application of behavioural sciences teaching by UK dental undergraduates

Pine

McGoldrick²

2000

Eur J Dental Education

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From 1990, Behavioural Sciences have become a requisite subject of dental undergraduate curricula across the UK (2). However, subject matter taught varies from school to school (4). The aim of this study was to determine the views and experiences of senior dental undergraduates in applying their behavioural sciences teaching across a range of clinical situations. A questionnaire survey was designed in which 5 UK Dental Schools were included to provide a countrywide geographic distribution and where >75% of senior students in each Dental School participated. The questions required the students to evaluate their psychosocial skills in 4 main areas: dentist/patient interactions; enhancing preventive behaviour; anxiety management; coping with personal stress. 252 students participated, 43% were male. In general, students valued their behavioural sciences teaching and 84% rated its inclusion in the curriculum as important. Some patient management situations had been infrequently encountered in their clinical experience and their confidence in dealing with these situations was low. The data was entered into a stepwise logistic regression to determine which factors explained the variation in reported confidence. In relation to dentist-patient interactions and preventive aspects (9 aspects), significant variables were how well students felt they were taught and how often they encountered the situations. Gender contributed to explaining variation in 4 of these aspects. In dealing with patient aggression, men were over 7x more confident than women (Odd's ratio 7.32), but in changing patients' attitudes to oral health, women were more than 2x as confident as men (Odd's ratio 2.08). In anxiety management and dealing with personal stress, additional variables entered the model and these were age, gender and Dental School. For most aspects of confidence in anxiety management, the quality of teaching to manage these situations was the key variable. In conclusion, this survey has provided an evaluation of UK students' perceived psychosocial skills in a range of clinical settings. This should encourage educators to improve curricular content to support the development of clinical competency in this area.

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“…In the United Kingdom, a study of 14 dental schools reported that many programs emphasized only the theoretical aspects of communication rather than providing opportunities for skills-based practice. 35 In that study, teaching methods generally entailed the use of a didactic teaching style and a large group format. Hammoud et al recommended combining student self-assessment with feedback from faculty or other trained individuals for maximum effectiveness of the learning program.…”

Section: Residentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…37 In the study of UK dental schools, teaching staff were usually selected from one discipline only (e.g., dentistry) with little interdisciplinary teaching by non-dentists, such as psychologists and sociologists. 35 In the study of U.S. and Canadian dental schools, assessment of students was generally conducted by grading participation in class exercises, rather than directly evaluating student performance in communication skills. 34 In our study, as a first step, based on videorecorded interactions, we analyzed and rated the communication skills of the residents while they treated real patients.…”

Section: Examples Of Residents' Comments Made In Balint Sessions Twmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Prosthodontic Residents’ Communication Strategies with Edentulous Patients: A Pilot Study

Murthy

Sethuraman

Choudhury

et al. 2017

Journal of Dental Education

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The aim of this study was to investigate whether prosthodontic residents' attitudes toward provider-client communication would be shaped by a tailor-made communications skills course. In 2016, the pre-intervention attitudes of all six second- and third-year prosthodontic residents in a three-year residency at an academic dental institution in India were assessed using the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS). The residents' performance was then video-recorded while they treated complete denture patients and was analyzed using the Kalamazoo scale, a validated scale for communication skills assessment. The residents' weaknesses were identified, and a custom-made generic module was designed along with individual guidance counseling for addressing aspects relevant to complete denture patients. The residents' attitudes were again assessed immediately after they completed the training using CSAS, as well as after two and four months using Balint sessions. Analysis of the recordings showed that few of the deficiencies during intraoral procedures were contextual, and the Kalamazoo scale did not address them: these were noted as being "beyond Kalamazoo." After the training, the residents reported awareness of their weaknesses and feeling motivated to practice their newly acquired skills. The Balint sessions showed that they had started valuing patients' agendas and the rapport-building process, and they reported transfer of skills when treating other types of prosthodontic patients. In this study, a customized communication skills module brought about a positive change in residents' attitudes, which was sustained over four months. Similar training could be implemented in other dental specialties.

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A review of teaching of behavioural sciences in the United Kingdom dental undergraduate curriculum

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Dental anxiety screening practices and self-reported training needs among Australian dentists

Dental anxiety screening practices and self-reported training needs among Australian dentists

Application of behavioural sciences teaching by UK dental undergraduates

Developing Prosthodontic Residents’ Communication Strategies with Edentulous Patients: A Pilot Study

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