A longitudinal curriculum for teaching communication skills in undergraduate dental education: Evaluation and...

Communicative competencies in dentistry can be taught particularly well through longitudinal curricula. The aim of this study was to evaluate a longitudinal curriculum for teaching communication skills in dental education and to examine students' self-assessment of their communication competencies over the course of the curriculum.

The curriculum was established for the 3rd to 5th year of study of dentistry. Communication skills were taught in six modules. These include theoretical units on communication and practical units, e.g., simulated patient encounters or internships for self-reflection. An evaluation accompanied the continuum of the curriculum. At four time points, students provided feedback on aspects of the curriculum. Furthermore, they assessed the development of their own communication skills via the Berlin Global Rating (BGR) and empathy via the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, Student Version (JSPE-S).

29 students took part at all four time points T1-T4 (n=18 female, n=11 male). Most dental students felt that the curriculum was helpful or very helpful for learning patient-dentist-communication skills. Women described a significant decrease in JSPE-S-empathy over time as well as a significant increase in nonverbal and verbal expression, empathy, and coherence (BGR) over time (p<0.05). No change in communicative competencies was found in male students.

The longitudinal, practice-oriented communication curriculum could be successfully integrated into undergraduate dental education. It fostered students' self-confidence and, among female participants, enhanced perceived communication competencies. The results underline the value of combining simulated patient encounters, video-based peer feedback, and guided self-reflection in preparing dental students for effective patient-centered communication.