Current trends in community-based clinical teaching programs in U.K.and Ireland dental schools.

Community-based clinical teaching/outreach programs using a variety of approaches have been established in many predoctoral dental schools around the world. The aim of this article is to report current trends in the teaching of community-based clinical teaching/outreach teaching in dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In late 2010-early 2011, a questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to deans of the eighteen established dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The questionnaire included both open and closed questions relating to current and anticipated trends in community-based clinical teaching. Fourteen responses were received (response rate=78 percent). All fourteen responding schools reported inclusion of a community-based clinical teaching program. Ten schools indicated that their program was based on total patient (comprehensive) care including the treatment of child patients. In nine schools, the program is directed by a senior clinical academic in restorative dentistry. As well as student dentists, ten schools and seven schools include teaching of student dental therapists and student dental hygienists, respectively. There is a varied experience within the schools surveyed in terms of the extent, nature, and content of these programs. Overall, however, community-based clinical teaching was seen as part of the future of dental school education in many schools as an ideal way of preparing graduates for Dental Foundation Training and subsequent independent practice.

Evaluation of a U.K. community-based clinical teaching/outreach program by former dental students two and five years after graduation.

Over the past few years, community-based clinical teaching/outreach teaching programs have been established in many dental schools in the United Kingdom. One such program was developed by Cardiff University at the local St. David's Hospital in 2002. Students visit this unit throughout their dental school program--as an assistant/observer initially, but gaining a significant amount of clinical operating experience within the unit during their final year of studies. While contemporaneous feedback from current dental students at this and other programs has been positive, very little information exists on the impact of this form of training on the subsequent clinical careers and working practices of qualified dentists. In autumn 2009, a postal questionnaire was distributed to dentists who graduated from the School of Dentistry at Cardiff in 2004 (n=41) and 2007 (n=51). Fifty-eight responses were returned, for a response rate of 63 percent: 2004 (66 percent), 2007 (61 percent). Forty-seven respondents (81 percent) reported that their learning experience at the St. David's outreach teaching program had been of significant assistance in their professional development in their subsequent clinical careers. Positive features of the program included the availability of a suitably trained dental nurse for all procedures (n=26, 45 percent), ready access to helpful/approachable teaching staff (n=24, 41 percent), and a good working atmosphere (n=23, 40 percent). Overwhelmingly, former dental students reported that the educational experiences they gained were positive and have had a beneficial effect on their subsequent clinical careers. Further development of community-based clinical teaching/outreach training as part of dental school training programs is encouraged.

Effect of community-based clinical teaching programs on student confidence: a view from the United kingdom.

Over the past few years, community-based clinical teaching programs have become established within many dental schools in the United Kingdom. One such primary care teaching unit was developed to support the dental undergraduate program at Cardiff University in 2002. Students visit this unit throughout their five-year dental school training-as assistants/observers initially, but gaining about twenty-eight days of clinical operating experience each within the unit during their final year of studies. The aim of this article is to report the effect of this teaching program on the confidence of students to perform a range of clinical treatments. The final-year dental class of 2007-08 (n=55) at Cardiff University were asked to rate their confidence in their ability to perform thirty-six selected clinical tasks on a five-point scale prior to commencing their clinical operating experience at the community-based clinical teaching program and again at completion of the one-year program. Completed responses were received from forty-seven students (response rate=85 percent). The same students completed the initial and the final surveys. After one year, there were significant increases (p<0.05) in student confidence in performing thirty of the thirty-six selected clinical tasks. The largest positive change was in the area of endodontics: on a five-point scale, there was an increase of one unit for incisor/canine endodontics, 1.04 units for premolar endodontics, and 1.17 units for molar endodontics. These increases were statistically significant (p<0.05). The next largest positive change was for the provision of bridgework: 0.98 unit increase in confidence for providing conventional bridgework (p<0.05) and 0.91 unit increase for resin-retained bridgework (p<0.05). We conclude that clinical experience within a community-based clinical teaching program can have positive effects on dental students' confidence to perform a wide range of clinical tasks. Further work is needed to identify the benefits of this training on the clinical and professional development of young and recently graduated dentists.