Understanding dental students' use of feedback.

INTRODUCTION: Feedback can enhance learning and is thought to be highly valued by students; however, it is not clear from the literature how dental students actually use feedback. AIM: This study aimed to explore how dental students use feedback in a variety of contexts. METHODS: Qualitative methods involving audio-recorded focus groups were used to explore the use of feedback by undergraduate dental students studying at three UK dental schools. A purposive sampling strategy was used to ensure diverse representation across the undergraduate dental programmes in each of the schools. RESULTS: Six focus groups, involving a total of 72 students, were undertaken. Thematic analysis identified five main themes relating to the use of feedback: value, future applicability, accessibility, variability and understanding. The inter-connectivity and interaction of the themes (along with their subthemes) were used to develop a model for optimising feedback with the aim of enhancing its potential use by students. CONCLUSION: The use of feedback by students would appear to be strongly influenced by several factors. Understanding these factors and how they interlink may be helpful to education providers who are seeking to optimise their feedback processes.

Consensus Report: 2nd European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals.

Tobacco use has been identified as a major risk factor for oral disorders such as cancer and periodontal disease. Tobacco use cessation (TUC) is associated with the potential for reversal of precancer, enhanced outcomes following periodontal treatment, and better periodontal status compared to patients who continue to smoke. Consequently, helping tobacco users to quit has become a part of both the responsibility of oral health professionals and the general practice of dentistry. TUC should consist of behavioural support, and if accompanied by pharmacotherapy, is more likely to be successful. It is widely accepted that appropriate compensation of TUC counselling would give oral health professionals greater incentives to provide these measures. Therefore, TUC-related compensation should be made accessible to all dental professionals and be in appropriate relation to other therapeutic interventions. International and national associations for oral health professionals are urged to act as advocates to promote population, community and individual initiatives in support of tobacco use prevention and cessation (TUPAC) counselling, including integration in undergraduate and graduate dental curricula. In order to facilitate the adoption of TUPAC strategies by oral health professionals, we propose a level of care model which includes 1) basic care: brief interventions for all patients in the dental practice to identify tobacco users, assess readiness to quit, and request permission to re-address at a subsequent visit, 2) intermediate care: interventions consisting of (brief) motivational interviewing sessions to build on readiness to quit, enlist resources to support change, and to include cessation medications, and 3) advanced care: intensive interventions to develop a detailed quit plan including the use of suitable pharmacotherapy. To ensure that the delivery of effective TUC becomes part of standard care, continuing education courses and updates should be implemented and offered to all oral health professionals on a regular basis.

Smoking cessation and periodontal health--a missed opportunity?

DESIGN: This was a cohort study. COHORT SELECTION: A longstanding prospective study was carried out of a birth cohort born in Dunedin (New Zealand) in 1972-1973. EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT: Periodontal examinations of the study participants were carried out when they reached the age of 26 and 32 years by calibrated examiners; smoking exposure was measured by questioning at ages 15, 18, 21, 26 and 32 years. Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured at the age of 26 years by categorising adult occupation using standard New Zealand occupation indices. Dental visiting behaviour was assessed by questioning at age 25 and 32 years. DATA ANALYSIS: Chi-square tests were used to examine the statistical significance of differences observed with categorical dependent variables. Analysis of variance was used for continuous variables. Logistic regression modelling was used to examine smoking exposure and periodontitis prevalence and incidence while controlling for sex, SES, dental plaque accumulation and the use of dental services. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 810 individuals of whom 48.9% had smoked at some point (31.5% were current smokers). Table 1 shows the prevalence, for a selection of smoking exposure groups of attachment loss at age 32 and the odds ratio compared with never-smokers and Table 2 the incidence of 3+ mm attachment loss. Sites with >5 mm attachment loss and were more likely to be incident cases after age 26 (OR, 5.2 and 3.2, respectively). Two thirds of new cases in individuals older than 26 years were attributable to smoking. There were no significant differences in periodontal health between never-smokers and those who had quit smoking after age 26. CONCLUSIONS: Current and long-term smoking in young adults is detrimental to periodontal health, but smoking cessation may be associated with a relatively rapid improvement in the periodontium.

Public health aspects of tobacco control: setting the agenda for action by oral health professions across Europe.

Tobacco use is a significant public health problem across Europe. Each year over half a million Europeans die prematurely due to a smoking-related disease. Tobacco use is a primary cause of many oral diseases and adverse oral conditions. The prevalence of tobacco use varies considerably across Europe, although in many countries overall rates of use have declined in recent years. However, tobacco use among women and young people is rising in several European countries. Tobacco behaviour is influenced by an array of factors, and quitting is a major challenge for many tobacco users. Tobacco use is now considered a chronic progressive relapsing condition requiring very specific support and assistance. To reduce tobacco use across Europe, a range of complementary actions and policies are required at an international, national and local level. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) outlines an array of evidence-based policies that can be implemented to prevent tobacco use and promote cessation. National dental associations and professional groups across Europe have an important role to play in supporting the ratification and implementation of the FCTC. The aim of this paper is to outline the public health aspects of tobacco control and highlight how the oral health professions across Europe can become actively engaged in this important and relevant area of prevention.