Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2025
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Training Socially-Conscious Dentists: Development and Integration of Community Service-Learning in Dental Curricula
Abbas Jessani1, Alexia Athanasakos2, Randy Peltz3
1Department of Dentistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Introduction And Aims:
Commuity-centred education models of care are needed to address the high dental treatment needs of equity-deserving populations with a focus on person-centred care and learner-centred education. The Community Service-Learning (CSL) programme was developed and integrated into the undergraduate dental curriculum at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in Canada to train undergraduate dental learners with a curriculum reflective of the complex and evolving oral health needs of local equity-deserving communities and global populations.
Methods:
The CSL programme was developed utilizing Yoder's framework for service-learning and Lave and Wenger's framework for situated learning. Community consultations were held with partner organizations and their service users in Ontario and East Africa to engage them in the development and implimentation of the CSL programme. Learners' feedback was sought through an anonymous self-reported survey to gauge their overall experiences and perceptions about the newly implemented CSL programme.
Results:
Seven community sites were selected in London, Ontario for the third-year mandatory placements. Eight learners rotated through each site. All fourth-year learners rotated through one community site in Woodstock, Ontario. Overall, the CSL programme received positive feedback from all the learners who participated in the survey with an emphasized desire for the CSL program to continue. Three major strengths emerged from the learners' perceptions of the programme: 'the importance of community outreach and access to care', 'educational and professional development', and 'strengthening of community relationships'. Perceived areas for improvement included: 'patient accessibility and communication' and, 'enhanced exposure and opportunities for the CSL programme'.
Conclusion:
The CSL programme provided positive experiential learning opportunities for learners while addressing the oral health needs of equity-deserving community members in local and global contexts.
Clinical Relevance:
This case study provides a practical and evidence-based approach in developing an experiential learning programme that trains dental learners to overcome challenges associated with oral health access and to address the unmet oral health needs of equity-deserving communities.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
01:30Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...