Dental students' perceptions of learning communication skills in a forum theatre-style teaching session on breaking bad news.

INTRODUCTION: Communication skills are an integral component of dental undergraduate education. Due to the complex nature of these skills, didactic teaching methods used in other educational contexts can be limited. Interactive and participative methods rooted in modern adult learning theories, such as Forum Theatre, may be more effective in the teaching of communication skills. AIM: To explore the usefulness of Forum Theatre in teaching clinical undergraduate dental students how to break bad news to their patients. METHODS: A purposive sample of 4th-year undergraduate dental students was invited to participate. An evaluation questionnaire was given to the students and collected after the Forum Theatre interactive session. Participants were asked to provide self-reported accounts on the most and least useful parts of the session, as well as the most important learning outcome. Usefulness of the session in clinical work, increasing confidence and ability in breaking bad news, were evaluated via a 5-point Likert-scale type question. Qualitative data were analysed using Framework Analysis to explore the themes found in the open-text component. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the Likert-scale items. RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen completed questionnaires were collected from the 2015 and 2016 classes. Most students gave the Forum Theatre session a rating of 3 or above on a 5-point Likert scale; indicating that they found it useful. Qualitative results also showed that most participants liked the teaching session thanks to its interactive nature, the use of actors and the input of the facilitators. The majority of students showed preference towards smaller groups which give everyone equal opportunity to participate without unnecessary repetition. CONCLUSION: The results seem to confirm previous findings. Students rated their learning experience involving Forum Theatre favourably. Smaller groups and trained facilitators are required for the success of this teaching method. Further research is needed to assess the long-term educational benefits of Forum Theatre.

School-based dental sealant programmes may be effective in caries prevention.

DesignSplit-mouth randomised controlled clinical trial.InterventionSchool-based dental sealant (SBDS) programme. The study population that was selected from 67-year-old pupils of 16 elementary schools in areas of low socioeconomic status within Nice, France. Children with first permanent molar pairs sufficiently erupted for sealing with no caries (ICDAS [International Caries Detection and Assessment System] 0) or initial enamel lesions (ICDAS 1-2) were included. Children were randomised to either the intervention group (light polymerised resin-based sealant with fluoride) or the control group (no treatment).Outcome measureThe primary outcome measure was caries with sealant retention as a secondary outcome.ResultsFour hundred and fifty-seven pairs of permanent first molars belonging to 276 school children were randomised. At three years 378 pairs in 228 children were available for analysis. The overall retention rate was 32.3%. Sealed molars had 67% less risk of new carious lesions, adjusted hazard ratio = 0.33(95%CI; 0.24-0.46).ConclusionsSBDS programmes can be effective in preventing the development of carious lesions in school children, particularly those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and may, as a result, be unable to receive adequate oral healthcare in other settings outside the school. ICR should determine the selection of at-risk sub-groups for which the intervention could be considered.