European Journal of Dental Education最新文献

Introduction: Oral health plays a crucial role in overall well-being, impacting general health, psychological health and quality of life. Vulnerable groups often face higher rates of oral health problems, exacerbating inequalities. This study evaluates the effectiveness of student-delivered oral health interventions with these groups using a co-creation approach.

Materials and methods: A qualitative study was conducted with 19 participants comprising dental students from the Dundee Dental Connect (DDC) project, their supervisors and third sector practitioners/managers working with vulnerable populations in Scotland. Online focus groups were conducted followed by thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software.

Results: Seven major themes emerged from the analysis: enhanced student competence and confidence, support structures and training, evolving attitudes towards marginalised groups, community interaction, student engagement, challenges in community engagement and project sustainability. Students reported improved communication skills, confidence and clinical application, with co-creation fostering empathy and emphasizing preventive dentistry.

Discussion: The findings highlight the benefits of co-creation in student-delivered oral health interventions and dental education, enhancing student self-efficacy and professional competencies when engaging with underserved populations. Challenges including language barriers were addressed through adaptability and mentorship. The study also underscores the importance of sustainable resource management and broader outreach to tackle health inequalities.

Conclusion: The DDC project demonstrates the positive impact of co-creation in dental education, fostering competencies and empathy among students, and preparing them to address oral health disparities in different settings. This approach strengthens community partnerships and equips future professionals with the skills to promote sustainable, equity-driven oral healthcare.

Introduction: The study of serious games and their ability to develop empathy in users is a developing area of research. Empathy is recognised as being important to the practice of patient-centered healthcare and is associated with improved treatment outcomes. Understanding the breadth of information available on the relationship between serious game use and empathy within healthcare education and training may help reveal the suitability of the medium for further refinement in dental education.

Methods: A scoping review of the literature was undertaken to find relevant publications. The following databases were searched using keywords related to empathy, games and healthcare: APA PsycInfo, Embase, IEEExplore, Google Scholar, OVID Medline, and Web of Science.

Results: 2587 search results were returned and 21 publications were identified for inclusion in the review.

Discussion: Patient experience simulations are a popular method for digital games to show healthcare personnel the lives of their patients, and games can be used to simulate empathic communication in clinical settings. Commercial digital games can be utilised to develop empathy in healthcare trainees, and exposure to violent digital games or playing in an unethical style does not negatively impact the empathy of healthcare trainees. No studies were found related to dental education.

Conclusion: Digital games have a potential role in increasing the empathy of users in healthcare training and education, but more research is indicated.

Introduction: Dentistry is a demanding profession, in which the oral health team is subjected to conditions, both intra-occupational to the profession (extreme and repetitive postures and movements during the working day) and extra-occupational, related to the demands of the profession (lack of time for basic needs such as diet, physical exercise, free time, sleep, social relations given the need for continuing education) that put health at risk. As a consequence, dentists and students have a very high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Objective: To determine the relationship between the MSDs of dental students and dentists and extra-occupational factors.

Materials and method: In order to be able to analyze the different study factors, a survey was conducted using validated and accepted questionnaires: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Maslash Burnout Inventory, Exercise, Nordic Questionnaire, Mediterranean Diet, Musculoskeletal Pathology Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptom Questionnaire, Pemberton Happiness Index and Diaz et al. questionnaire.

Results: A total of 178 participants were enrolled in the study. The sample consisted of 56 second-year students and 39 fifth-year students, and 74 dentists. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among second-year students is 83.93%, while it is 87.18% and 91.46% among fifth-year students and dentists, respectively. The neck is the most common area of concern in all three groups, followed by the lower back and shoulder. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was low in all three cohorts, and there was no evidence of burnout, a moderate level of physical activity, but decreasing with age, happiness on average, with mild sleep disturbance (moderate in second-year medical students).

Conclusions: MSDs in dentistry are a multifactorial consequence. Our study has determined that physical activity is the most relevant extra-occupational factor in modulating the pathology. However, further research is required to gain a full understanding of the relationship between MSDs and different extra-occupational factors.

Purpose: Students skilled in self-directed learning (SDL) are likely to develop into lifelong learners. Inspirational teaching (IPT) is hypothesised to motivate independent SDL. This study investigated the relationship between IPT and SDL quantitatively among final year health professions students and explored their experience of IPT and perceptions of SDL qualitatively.

Methods: Final year students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and dietetics and nutrition programmes completed questionnaires on socio-demographics, IPT and SDL. Sex and programme-related IPT and SDL scores were compared. Correlation between IPT and SDL was analysed. Qualitative data on IPT experience and SDL perceptions were collected through a focus group discussion.

Results: Of 240 respondents, the mean IPT and SDL scores did not differ by sex or programme. Overall IPT and SDL scores showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.46; p = 0.001). Qualitative data suggested that SDL was related to perceptions of learning needs, learning activities/environment, teachers' role in reflection and feedback, and teachers as role models.

Conclusion: IPT is associated with SDL. Teachers inspire SDL through reflection, feedback and role modelling. SDL is influenced by students perceiving a learning need. Learning activities involving patient contacts, problem-solving, or case histories were more likely to promote SDL.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Dental Intern Program (DIP) at Monash Health, focusing on the experiences of mentors, dental interns (DI) and patients. It seeks to identify strengths and weaknesses within the programme and its impact on clinical skills, judgement and patient satisfaction.

Methods: Qualitative feedback was collected from mentors and DI through interviews and discussions, while quantitative data were gathered from patient surveys before and after the implementation of the DIP. The analysis focused on themes related to confidence levels, skill development, mentor support and patient satisfaction.

Results: Mentors emphasised the need for tailored tutorials and more practical opportunities for skill development. They noted gaps in DIs' skills in specific areas due to limitations in clinical exposure. DIs reported a positive experience, highlighting the importance of individualised learning goals and the supportive mentor-intern relationship, which fostered confidence and clinical judgement. Patient feedback indicated high satisfaction levels, with significant improvements in care quality and staff confidence post-programme implementation. Quantitative data revealed a statistically significant increase in DIs' confidence (p < 0.05) and a notable rise in patient compliments and decrease in complaints after the implementation of the DIP (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study emphasises the critical role of tailored mentoring and a structured DIP in enhancing clinical proficiency and patient care for a DI in their first year of career development. The findings contribute valuable insights into the dynamics of dental graduates' training and their implications for the recruitment of local graduates and their retention in the public sector.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the potential impact of the hospital-university restructuring implemented since 2016 on students' stress levels and their satisfaction with teaching, while considering other factors that might influence the results. A secondary goal was to identify persistent causes of dissatisfaction to guide future improvements.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 182 clinical students (Years 4-6) at the Faculty of Dentistry between January and February 2023. Students completed an anonymous questionnaire covering socio-demographic data, perceived stress (Dental Environmental Stress scale), and satisfaction with clinical and theoretical teaching (selected items from the Student Course Experience Questionnaire). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare current results with those from 2016.

Results: Stress levels significantly increased compared to 2016 (p < 0.001). Major stressors included increased clinical quotas, reduced chair time, and difficult interactions with teaching staff. These were reported consistently across all academic years. Students who repeated a year or felt overwhelmed experienced significantly higher stress (p ≤ 0.04). Satisfaction with clinical teaching dropped significantly across all levels (p < 0.001), especially regarding supervision, clinical case access, and feedback. Theoretical teaching satisfaction also declined. Overall student satisfaction was significantly correlated with stress levels and satisfaction with both theoretical and clinical teaching, with key factors including repeating a year, feeling overwhelmed, and fears about the future (all p ≤ 0.04).

Conclusion: The findings highlight a clear deterioration in student well-being and satisfaction since 2016, emphasising the need for structural reform and enhanced teacher training in student support and stress management.

The cover image is based on the article The Last 15 Years: The Association for Dental Education in Europe's (ADEE) Leading Role in the Education of the European Oral Health Workforce (2010/2025) by Denis Murphy et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.70029.

Background: While large language models (LLMs) perform well in medical education, their ability to accurately interpret and answer English and Arabic dental multiple-choice questions (MCQs) remains underexplored.

Aims: This study evaluated the performance of advanced LLMs in answering dental MCQs in both languages, identifying language-specific challenges and assessing their applicability in multilingual dental education.

Materials and methods: A total of 300 MCQs from ten dental specialties were sourced from question banks. The MCQs were translated into Arabic and reviewed for linguistic and technical accuracy. Four LLMs, ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-4, Gemini, and Claude, were tested separately on Arabic and English datasets. Accuracy was the primary metric, along with specialty-specific performance, question type differentiation, and cross-language consistency.

Results: Claude achieved the highest accuracy in English (89%), while Gemini performed best in Arabic (80%). Most models showed better performance in English, with notable translation inconsistencies, particularly for ChatGPT models. Specialty-wise, Claude and Gemini excelled in endodontics and operative dentistry. No significant differences were observed between knowledge-based and clinical questions, but Arabic interpretation posed challenges. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences between models and across languages.

Discussion: Gemini demonstrated robust performance in Arabic, while Claude excelled in English. ChatGPT models exhibited limitations, particularly in Arabic datasets. Performance varied across specialties, highlighting the need for improved multilingual adaptability and specialty-specific training.

Conclusion: Expanding specialised and culturally relevant datasets is essential for optimising LLMs' educational utility. This study provides key insights into LLM performance in bilingual dental education, supporting future advancements in AI-driven learning tools.

Introduction: Enhancing the quality of radiographic imaging is crucial for minimising patient exposure to ionising radiation resulting from repeated X-rays. Addressing technical errors during patient positioning is vital for obtaining accurate extraoral radiographs. Radiological simulation offers dentistry students a unique opportunity to refine their skills and gain experience in taking intraoral and extraoral X-rays without ionising radiation.

Materials and methods: A survey was conducted among 98 dental students. Half of them comprised the control group which had taken a course in radiography, and the other 50% were the study group who additionally underwent Qbion training. Respondents answered 13 single- and multiple-choice questions concerning one correct and 12 panoramic radiographs with one, two or three positioning errors. The students were asked to identify the reason for the occurrence of a technical error. The results were analysed descriptively.

Results: A correctly taken panoramic X-ray was recognised by 79 students (80.6%). Among them, 44 students (55.7%) used the Qbion software. The most commonly identified error was asymmetrical patient positioning, identified by 78 of 98 respondents (79.6%)-43 (55.1%) in the study group and 35 (44.9%) in the control group. The most difficult question concerning the too forward position of the patient was correctly answered only by 34 students.

Discussion: Students utilising Qbion software demonstrated a higher accuracy in answering questions related to radiographic errors, indicating the software's effectiveness in enhancing practical skills. The analysis of multiple-choice questions showed that the higher the degree of difficulty, the lower the percentage of correct answers.

Conclusions: The results suggest that integrating radiological simulation tools, like Qbion, significantly improves learning outcomes for students. However, further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to validate these findings.

Background: The Progress Test in Periodontology (PTP) has been implemented at Kiel University to gain an impression of students' learning process in this specific subdiscipline of periodontology within the dental curriculum.

Methods: The PTP has been designed following internationally established standards and has been adapted into the context of periodontology. From July 2020 to February 2022, it has been applied to undergraduate students. The PTP consists of 30 single-best answer questions including an 'I don't know' option, drawn from a newly created question bank and weighted by an adapted blueprint. Descriptive analysis and statistics to test validity and reliability have been performed.

Results: The mean score shows a significant growth over the semesters (42.4% ± 11.7% after the first semester, 61.5% ± 13.8% after the second semester, 76.9% ± 12.8% after the third semester, 69.9% ± 12.7% after the fifth semester). Reliability expressed by Cronbach's α ranges from 0.646 to 0.798. The 'I don't know' option has mainly been used by first semester students.

Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, the PTP is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate students' gain of knowledge, even if it is limited to one subject within a curriculum. Due to pandemic restrictions several other challenges in the adaptation of the test format to the educational setting at a German university had to be solved.