Implementation of an online treatment planning exercise focused on vulnerable patient groups

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Public Health
• Geriatric Dentistry

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional in-person dental clinical training.
• Maintaining specialized training, such as for the Geriatric and Special Needs Program, posed significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an alternative virtual educational format for fourth-year dental students.
• To assess the utility of the Rapid Oral Health Deterioration (ROHD) risk assessment tool in a remote learning environment.

Main Methods:

• Fourth-year dental students (n=20) utilized the ROHD tool to analyze virtual clinical cases of special needs patients.
• An interprofessional practice concept was integrated into the virtual curriculum for treatment planning.
• Clear instructions, resources, and a process-oriented assessment facilitated student engagement.

Main Results:

• Students successfully engaged with the virtual learning format, demonstrating good participation.
• A correlation was observed between students' risk assessments using the ROHD tool and their proposed treatment plans.
• The virtual approach facilitated the application of interprofessional practice principles.

Conclusions:

• The developed virtual educational approach effectively facilitated clinical training for dental students during the pandemic.
• The ROHD risk assessment tool proved valuable in a remote setting for evaluating special needs patient cases.
• This innovative method supports the continuation of specialized dental education through virtual platforms.