Taking Dental Education Beyond the Diagnosis
The Exploring Health Conditions programme is a great example of how engagement and outreach supports dental education.
Students hear directly from people with a range of long term health conditions such as renal failure, dementia, Elhers Danlos syndrome and many others to help them better understand the impact of these conditions on daily life as well as on dental and oral health.
The opportunity to meet people, to listen and better understand the complex needs they have helps to prepare students for practice, as well as encouraging them to recognise the wider implications of different conditions. It also benefits their communication and interpersonal skills.
A recent publication in the British Dental Journal discusses how the Exploring Health Conditions programme takes student learning beyond a diagnosis, to further explore the importance of compassion and creativity. Read more here:
We are also thrilled that Isabel Clarke, a 5th Year student at Peninsula Dental School, has kindly allowed us to share her thoughts and reflections on programme which she took part in during her 4th Year Programme when she was studying in Truro.
Overall, the programme delivered was well organised and provided a perfect learning opportunity for dental students. By 4th year we have academic knowledge of medical conditions however lack enough clinical experience in treating a range of medical conditions. Previously, I often felt daunted when treating a patient with a complex medical history as I struggled to present the medical history to senior staff and feared potential medical emergencies. However, this programme enabled me to enhance my knowledge through the opportunity without judgement to ask important questions to those living with the condition and to complete further academic research.
I found engagement with people with different medical conditions really insightful and helpful in improving my communication skills as I tried to understand the challenges they face from a dental perspective. Several of them struggled with similar oral manifestations like xerostomia and it emphasised the importance of delivering good quality preventative care (OHI) to prevent further complications.
Teamwork was developed through the group task of creating a poster about our chosen condition. I took on a leadership role in ensuring deadlines were met and to synthesise group contributions into a consistent poster. During presentation day I found it useful to learn through the research my fellow peers had completed on the medical conditions we had explored. I found this engaging approach more beneficial than a lecture format as I feel that I have managed to retain more knowledge of clinical guidelines and dental treatment options.
The panel of experts on presentation day were valuable in further deepening our knowledge. We were able to learn through specialists in different fields and a consultant in Community Dentistry. They asked thought-provoking questions which encouraged abstract reasoning to answer. For example, my poster was based on Coeliac disease. I was surprised by the extent of clinical relevance the disease had to dentistry and the importance of spotting key oral manifestations (differential diagnosis for ulcers) to encourage an earlier diagnosis. Despite in depth research, the community dental consultant highlighted an important link I had not appreciated between the high sugar content of gluten free diets and the impact on tooth decay.
The experience of the programme has been beneficial to all of my year group and I believe is something that should be promoted in all dental schools. It has given us a more well-rounded view of medical conditions whilst developing key skills in communication and research. This will encourage better engagement with patients in clinic and for applying evidence based guidelines. I have improved confidence now treating patients with complex medical histories.
I personally feel like the programme has highlighted a key area of dentistry, Community dentistry and Public Health, that I am interested in and could see myself pursuing. I felt a lot of empathy for people struggling with medical conditions and the difficulty they often face receiving healthcare. I feel inspired to create a supportive and adapted experience for these patients when having dental treatment. I have since reached out and engaged through meetings with community based oral health schemes (PDSE outreach, BigBrushClub) to understand their role within the community. Without this experience I would not have as much awareness of the clinical impacts of medical conditions and the alternative approaches that can be used to treat these patients.
Well Connected would like to thank Isabel for her interest and enthusiasm for the programme, as well as all students who took part in the programme!