Communication Skills Teaching Methods in Dental Education – a Review

Abstract

Communication skills of dentists have been demonstrated to be part of the good dental practice. The aim we set ourselves in this study was to review the literature related to the methods of teaching communication skills at dental faculties, and develop a handout in the Bulgarian language about leading a successful conversation with a patient. According to some authors, the most important principles for effective communication training include the use of practical exercises, clinically relevant scenarios, students’ self-assessment tools, videotapes, participation of patient actors, and training in small groups. Another communication training program is the so-called Miller pyramid. Using the method of objective structured clinical examina-tion (OSCE) can also be an effective way of teaching communication skills to dental students.  The conclusion to be made is that communication skills should be taught across the entire dental curriculum as this leads to better understanding and sufficient outcome. 

Maximizing Student Clinical Communication Skills in Dental Education—A Narrative Review

“…• Role of clinical instructors Burkert, 2021 ■ Narrative review reported that ultimate learning of optimal communication skills requires teachers to be role models, effective supervisors, powerful tutors, and supportive persons who use diverse teaching methods with an individual approach to educating their students.…”

“…Burkert's review [33] reported that the ultimate learning of optimal clinical communication skills requires teachers to be "good role models, effective supervisors, powerful tutors and supportive persons who use dynamic and diverse teaching methods and have an individual approach to educating their students." Ayn et al [15] also underscored the role of the clinical instructor in modeling clinical communication skills as a form of learning in which there is very little educational institution control over its quality.…”

“…Although this review does not focus on assessment as a theme, the importance of competence assessment begs the question: "Did dental students learn what they needed to learn to improve their clinical communication skills?" Two of the tabled reviews [13,33] cited Miller [49] who proposed a pyramid framework for assessing clinical competence, which also applies to the learning of communication skills in dental education (see Figure 4). At the lowest level of the pyramid is knowledge (what a student knows), followed by competence (when a student knows how to use their knowledge), performance (when a student shows a teacher how they applied their knowledge) and action (when a student implements the practiced knowledge without tutelage).…”

“…Miller [49] posited that other common methods of assessment, such as multiple choice questions, simulation tests and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) target the lower levels of the pyramid. Thus, this pyramid model assumes that actual practice is a much better reflection of routine performance than assessments done under academic testing [13,33], which would also be the long-term goal of a longitudinal curricular program in CST. practice rather than what happens in artificial testing situations.…”

“…Cont. -dentist interactions and especially one to three concentrated course days, were best for learning optimal communication skills.Systematic review indicated that it was best that skills be evaluated during interactions with real patients, thus calling for at least some clinical coursework after initial role-play in earlier coursework.• Role of clinical instructorsBurkert, 2021 …”