The development of an outreach training programme in orthodontics

Abstract

• Outreach programmes allow the treatment of patients in a localised primary care environment during student training.• The training of students together on different but related courses encourages the team approach and can develop a better understanding of the individual roles of each team member.• Outreach training can present challenges for both funding and the integration of course design and delivery.

Community Health Centre‐Based Outreach Clinic for undergraduate dental education: Experience in Helsinki over 8 years

“…The outreach dental clinic is one of many educational approaches in dental education. There are also other models such as outreach programme for orthodontics and health promotion activities …”

The Sheffield outreach teaching programme

“…[1][2][3] The value of situated learning (amidst a workplace team) has been embraced by dental educators establishing new dental curricula to reduce the problematic transfer of learning to new settings. 4,5 In this context the School of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Sheffield has worked over the last seven years with the support of local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and leading salaried dentists and GDPs to develop a substantial dispersed outreach teaching programme for undergraduates and hygiene and therapy (H&T) students. The programme's development and management are described in this paper followed by a summary of recent students' outreach learning experiences.…”

Interprofessional Education in An Orthodontic Outreach Training Centre

“…Historically their training has been delivered in dental teaching hospitals. 8 However, if dentistry is delivered by a team, there are significant advantages to be gained by educating those team members together, in the environment where they are most likely to work.…”

“…35 Students are very enables them to develop their orthodontic knowledge and skills; the orthodontic team has now been further supplemented by the addition of orthodontic therapists. 8 Orthodontic therapists have been widely used in orthodontic practice in North America for many years 39 and extended duty orthodontic nurses who carry out similar tasks to therapists have also been involved in delivery of clinical care in the Netherlands. 40 The GDC has also widened the scope of practice for registered dental nurses, who, after appropriate training and under supervision, can now carry out prescribed extended duties, involving hands-on patient care.…”

“…This study describes a quality assured, primary care model of integrated education and patient care, which enhances interprofessionality and offers an alternative strategy for the future for commissioning of education and clinical care. 8 Clinical care and education is therefore symbiotically integrated, involving all team members. Development and delivery of orthodontic courses started at LSO in 2005, and orthodontic therapists, orthodontic nurses and Masters level orthodontic students now all work and train at LSO in an interprofessional education (IPE) environment.…”