Dental and Dental Hygiene Intraprofessional Education: A Pilot Program and Assessment of Students’ and Patients’ Satisfaction

Most often, members of the dental team are educated in separate programs. These professionals then come together in practice to work as a team, often with limited knowledge about each other's roles. The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of dental and dental hygiene students regarding collaborative learning after taking two courses together. Five years (2010–14) of survey data were collected from a convenience sample of dental and dental hygiene students. The dental hygiene students were in their first and second years (DH1 and DH2) at Eastern Washington University (EWU). The dental students were in the University of Washington (UW) Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE) program, taking their first year of courses in Eastern Washington with EWU's dental hygiene and UW's medical students. Eight first‐year dental (D1) students participate in the RIDE program each year, totaling 40 across the five years. Because the same D1 students take both courses, this target population was 80. The number of DH1 and DH2 students in these courses ranges from 32–36 each year, for a target population of 323 across the five years. A total of 193 survey responses were collected, for an overall response rate of 48%; the D1 response rate was 72%, and the DH response rate was 42%. In the results, students perceived that learning collaboratively helped them think positively about other dental professionals, benefitted their problem‐solving skills, increased their understanding of clinical problems, helped them become better team members, improved trust and respect, and improved their understanding of course content. These results suggest that collaborative learning had a positive impact on both groups. In comments, students suggested they would benefit from more shared learning experiences in the clinic and agreed that collaborative learning would help them create a more cohesive team.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Benefits and Challenges of Collaborative Learning: Educating Dental and Dental Hygiene Students Together

Jackson

Bilich

Skuza

2018

“…However, there was no statistical significance compared to non-RIDE dentists' responses. In a study by Jones et al (2017) between DH and dental students, DH students had higher expectations of the IntraPE program than dental students, resulting in gaps between their expectations and satisfaction with the program. 9 This could explain why RIDE and non-RIDE dentists had similar response rates to teamwork questions.…”

Section: Teamworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study by Jones et al (2017) between DH and dental students, DH students had higher expectations of the IntraPE program than dental students, resulting in gaps between their expectations and satisfaction with the program. 9 This could explain why RIDE and non-RIDE dentists had similar response rates to teamwork questions. It is possible RIDE dentists' expectations differ from non-RIDE dentists due to levels of access to formal IntraPE curriculum with DH students.…”

Section: Teamworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Multiple studies have demonstrated IntraPE can significantly improve the understanding of shared care between dental and DH students. 2,[6][7][8] Recent research concludes IntraPE creates a better understanding of roles and responsibilities of different healthcare providers, 2,[8][9][10] and improves teams and teamwork. [6][7][12][13] For the purposes of this study, the definitions of teamwork and roles and responsibilities come from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intraprofessional education with dental hygienists: The post training impact on dentists

Satter

Jackson

DiMarco

et al. 2020

Purpose/objectives Generally, dental and dental hygiene (DH) students are educated separately. When these students are educated together, studies show improvements in teamwork and understanding of their distinct roles. This longitudinal study was conducted to see if intraprofessional education (IntraPE) between dental and DH students can impact dentists in practice. Specifically, this study examined the attitudes of graduates from the University of Washington School of Dentistry (UWSOD), some of whom participated in the Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE) program. The RIDE program, designed to meet the needs of underserved populations, combines courses of 8 first‐year dental students with 30–36 Eastern Washington University DH students. Methods In 2018, all 409 UWSOD dentists from 2012–2017, including 48 RIDE and 361 non‐RIDE dentists, were invited to participate in this study. Attitudes toward teamwork and roles and responsibilities were assessed using qualitative and quantitative measures. The RIDE and non‐RIDE responses were compared and tested using t‐tests for statistical significance. Results A total of 77 responses were analyzed with a response rate of 54% (n = 26) for RIDE and 14% (n = 51) for non‐RIDE. Results show the RIDE program improved attitudes toward DH in practice. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in understanding roles and responsibilities, but not teamwork. The majority of non‐RIDE dentists (n = 26, 51%) felt their education would have benefited from formal IntraPE. Conclusion To improve attitudes, dental schools should consider formal partnerships between dental and DH programs, specifically in clinical settings.

A 3‐year quantitative evaluation of interprofessional team‐based clinical education at an Australian dental school

Storrs

Henderson

Kroon

et al. 2022

Purpose/Objectives: Clinical educational challenges led to the Griffith University School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) introducing interprofessional team-based treatment planning (TBTP). This paper evaluates the interprofessional contribution made to student clinical learning and experience among dentistry, oral health therapy, dental prosthetics, and dental technology students. Methods: A mixed methodology approach targeting 845 students collected data annually employing a prevalidated online instrument from 2012 to 2014 to answer the question: "What is the contribution of interprofessional student team-based processes on students' perceptions of interprofessional practice at DOH?" Results: A representative study sample with a 64.4% response rate (N = 544) reported TBTP creating a supportive environment for interprofessional clinical learning. Significant improvements in learning shared across disciplines indicated improvements in mutual respect, understanding roles, and constructive communication enhancing teamwork. There were increasing significant correlations between shared learning and positive clinical experiences from 2012 (r = .642, p < .000) to 2013 (r = .678, p < .000) and 2014 (r = .719, p < .000). A combination of TBTP predictors accounted for 53% of the variance in clinical learning and experience in 2014 compared to 40% in 2012. Conclusion:Learning with other students, developing teamwork abilities, improved communication skills, and respect for other oral health professions were aspects of TBTP that positively impacted clinical learning and practice at DOH. Further study would assist to determine specific elements that made the greatest contribution to student learning experiences.