Effects of a disability-simulating learning unit on ableism of final-year dental students - a pilot study

This study aimed to describe a disability-simulating learning unit (DSLU) to raise dental students' awareness of the special needs of patients with disabilities as well as to measure the effect of the DSLU on ableism.

A DSLU among final-year undergraduate dental students (n = 33), was developed and evaluated. The students were randomly divided into two groups (Group I, n = 17; Group II, n = 16). Group II only received conventional teaching (control group), whereas Group I was additionally exposed to the DSLU (intervention group). In the DSLU, typical physical restrictions and the associated difficulties in attending dental appointments were simulated with the help of simulation suits. Four different stations offered the opportunity to experience typical signs of disability in a dental context. About 2 months after the DSLU, both groups were asked to answer the Symbolic Ableism Scale (SAS). An analysis was conducted to examine the participants' average total score and several subscores. The Mann-Whitney U Test was employed to control the differences between the study groups.

Overall, the students in the intervention group had a significantly (p = .001) lower mean SAS summary score (median = .37; IQR .32-.42) than the students in the control group (median = .50; IQR .39-.53). For the components "individualism" (p < .0001) and "excessive demands" (p = .002) significant group differences could be observed.

The DSLU is a potentially feasible and effective method for influencing students' ableism attitude.