Critical Incidents, Successes, and Challenges of Community‐Based Dental Education

Academic dental institutions serve a foundational role in meeting the oral health needs of Americans through community‐based learning experiences. Purpose The purpose of this study was to longitudinally evaluate an ongoing primary objective of the Oral Health Improvement through Outreach (OHIO) Project Program, which is to build strong partnerships between The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry (CoD) and community‐based dental facilities and increase access to dental care for underserved populations. Methods Upon exempt Institutional Review Board approval (2004H0067), a longitudinal evaluation study was conducted of 15 years of the OHIO Project during the 2004–2019 academic years. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the OHIO Project using process and outcome evaluation methods. Results The data from 107,510 patients were analyzed. Process evaluation revealed the OHIO Project has been reaching the target population of communities with dental care needs and limited access, as evidenced by the main methods of patient payment/non‐payment and the quantity of completed restorative/oral surgery procedures. Outcome evaluation revealed the OHIO Project has been building strong partnerships between the CoD and communities to address dental care needs and improve access, as evidenced by the increased number and distribution of the community‐based facilities throughout Ohio. Conclusion Process and outcome evaluation revealed the OHIO Project has been meeting its primary goal of building strong partnerships between the CoD and OHIO Project community‐based facilities to address the basic dental needs and increase access for Ohio residents. Future research is needed to evaluate the dental student impact of providing community‐based care.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Process and outcome evaluation of the Oral Health Improvement through Outreach (OHIO) Project

Partido

Bean

Hicks

2020

“…In three studies, community rotations for fourth‐year students that ranged from 40 to 95 days were assessed 29 , 31 , 36 . In one of those studies, the effects of a six‐week non‐dental community‐based rotation for students prior to beginning their first year of dental school was examined 32 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, outcomes assessed were affect, cognition, 29 , 35 personal and professional growth, 25 cultural competence and respect for diversity, 6 , 28 , 32 , 34 recognition of care disparities and social determinants of health, 28 lack of care access, 32 improving curriculum and identifying student difficulty, 36 and developing community leadership capacity 30 . Five studies focused on developing a sense of social responsibility, 6 , 26 , 27 , 31 , 32 and one focused on a “charity” versus “social justice” philosophical approach to care 27 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Dental Students’ Readiness to Treat Populations That Are Underserved: A Scoping Review

Furlini

Noushi

Castonguay

et al. 2018

In North America, all dental schools have adopted some form of community-based dental education (CBDE) or service-learning, but little is known about the areas being researched and reported in published studies. The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review to determine what areas of research had been conducted to determine the effects of CBDE on dental students' readiness to treat populations that are underserved. A systematic search of articles published in English or French since 2000 was performed on July 29, 2015, and combined quantitative and qualitative synthesis of data was conducted. Of the 32 studies evaluated, 23 (72%) were quantitative, seven (22%) were qualitative, and two were multi-method. The majority (66%) used self-report methods, most frequently surveys. Participants in 50% of the studies were fourth-year dental students; the others assessed third- and fourth-year (13%), first- and second-year (6%), and first-year (13%) students. Dentists were the participants in three studies (9%), with dentists and students in one study (3%). Either the types of populations receiving care were unspecified or four or more groups were pooled together in 25 studies (78%), while two focused on children, one on rural populations, one on elderly populations, two on persons with special health care needs, and one on low-income populations. The study areas were wide-ranging, but generally fell into three categories: student performance (37.5%), teaching approaches and evaluation methods (37.5%), and perceptions of CBDE (25%). This review identified many research gaps for determining whether students are prepared to treat populations that are underserved. The disparate nature of CBDE research demonstrates a compelling argument for determining elements that define student readiness to care for patients who are underserved and for research that includes the voices of patients, curriculum development, and more comprehensive and rigorous evaluation methodologies.

“…An instructional strategy that emerged from Boud et al's theory is the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), a qualitative exercise in which the learner “describes an occurrence, the cause, and outcome. It is aimed at isolating vital components of an incident, identifying and evaluating key factors to yield a deeper understanding of the whole, and reassessing an assumption to bring forth change.” 9 As a pedagogy, CBL with reflection and CIT teaches students to bring their ideas to consciousness and begin to evaluate and make choices about what they believe, ethically and professionally, assisting in their personal and professional development 2, 5 – 7, 9,11, 13 – 15 . Education that develops cultural competence, values that reflect societal responsibility, and a desire to provide care to underserved populations is essential to creating a society that addresses oral health disparities 2 – 6 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Education that develops cultural competence, values that reflect societal responsibility, and a desire to provide care to underserved populations is essential to creating a society that addresses oral health disparities 2 – 6 . However, understanding if oral health students are internalizing an appropriate vision of their role as oral health professionals in the context of community is a question often raised 2, 6,9,10, 13 – 15 …”

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confidence: 99%

Reflective Learning Outcomes of Community‐Based Experiences: A Qualitative Study

Sager

Blue

2019

The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of community‐based experiences for senior dental and dental hygiene students through the use of critical incident essays. A total of 108 senior dental students and 22 senior dental hygiene students were invited to participate in the study. Each student was required to write about one critical incident that occurred at one of four community clinic rotation sites during the 2012‐13 school year. The participation rate was 78% of the students. Professional responsibility, a willingness to volunteer, and an understanding of the importance of oral health education were the main themes that emerged from analysis of the essays. These results suggest that community‐based learning, with reflection, challenged how these students perceived oral health disparities and expanded the meaning of professional responsibility for them.