Aligning clinical assessment with course elements in prosthodontic dentistry: a South African case

Clinical tests were introduced and implemented as an additional clinical assessment tool in the Prosthodontic curriculum of the fourth year undergraduate dentistry program at one South African university. This study compared the relationship between the students’ performance in the clinical tests and daily clinical grades on the one hand with their theoretical performance on the other. It also explored the perceptions of the academic staff on the validity of clinical tests as a clinical assessment tool. An analysis of the test results of fourth-year dental students showed insignificant relationships between students’ clinical daily grade assessment marks and their marks for assessing theory. However, clinical assessment via tests is well accepted by the course staff and they perceived them to be more reliable than daily clinical grade assessment methods. The findings of the study support other reported studies which concluded that the daily grade of Dentistry students poorly correlate with their competency exams module. The findings also relate well with the lecturers’ views that clinical tests were more reliable as a clinical assessment tool than students’ daily clinical mark.Web of Scienc

COVID-19 in dentistry- Ethical considerations

The reach of Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) has even reached the ethical guidelines for good practice from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).The health care worker should carefully consider the guidance outlined in several of the booklets as patient treatment has multiple dimensions where COVID-19 had impacted on clinical practice. Due to the nature of dentistry and aerosol generation, special care must be taken when treating healthy patients and patients that are carriers but do not realise that they are COVID-19 positive.COVID-19 transmission and aerosol dissemination may expose the practice team to hazards of infection. The risk is elevated when implementing aerosol generating procedures without any protective equipment. The oral health care worker (OHCW) and staff thus require the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as suggested by country-specific guidelines, for example, The South African Dental Association (SADA).To this extent, practicing dentistry in the 21st century is complex and amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic the OHCW is presented with more pitfalls. As the pandemic is showing no sign of abating in SA, this has presented the OHCW with a range of additional ethical considerations.These dilemmas may be resolved in a variety of ways following an understanding of the basic knowledge of core ethical values and standards for good practice outlined by the HPCSA guidelines

Adapting an undergraduate dental objectively structured clinical examination (OSCE) during COVID‑19

In the 5-year dentistry curriculum at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (SA), prosthetic dentistry is presented as modules, starting in the 2nd year and culminating in the final module in the 5th year. Students are taught theory, and laboratory and clinical skills of removable (complete or partial) prostheses. Thus, acquiring psychomotor, clinical and problem-solving skills are an essential part of dental students’ education and training.[1] For trainee dentists, assessments include providing treatment for ‘real patients’, allowing them to demonstrate how theoretical knowledge of clinical procedures may be integrated with clinical skills in the clinical setting.[1] Teaching of clinical skills was completely interrupted during SA’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, although theoretical teaching continued on various virtual platforms. Educators uploaded clinical cases, and narrated and scaffolded clinical procedures aligned with module outcomes to provide continued training for students, even though the impact in terms of clinical competence was limited

The way forward with dental student communication at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Dental students are extensively trained to provide dental treatment to their patients during the undergraduate programme. However, no or little time is spent on the training of basic communication skills. Embedding a communication course in the curriculum would require support of the teaching staff and clinical teachers. To explore the perceptions of the clinical teachers with regard to the teaching and learning of dental student communication. The study had a two-phase, sequential, exploratory, mixed-methods research design. The first phase explored the lecturers' perceptions of dental student-patient communication by means of a focus group interview (n=5). Findings were used to develop the questionnaire for the second phase. The survey was distributed to 57 clinical teachers using the online SurveyMonkey system (USA). Sixty-three percent rated dental student-patient communication as good. All the respondents thought communication skills should be included in the dental curriculum. Of the total, 47% strongly agreed that students wish to continue with their work and not attend to communication. Of the clinical teachers, 47% strongly agreed that they need training on how to communicate and assess communication skills. Sixty-eight percent strongly agreed that developing and teaching a communication module should be shared among faculty staff. Clinical teachers agreed that communication skills training and clinical assessment in the dental curriculum are important. The study raised awareness among faculty members about the importance of communication skills and ensured initial buy-in for the development of such a course

The psychosocial effect of the COVID-19 national lockdown on Dentistry and Oral Hygiene students

The COVID-19 lockdown has had a psychological and social impact on dental students globally. To determine the psychosocial effect on students enrolled in dentistry and oral hygiene courses at UWC. To determine the psychosocial effects (living conditions, levels of anxiety, fear of COVID-19, and food security levels) experienced by students during the lockdown. A descriptive, cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach was used. Methods: A randomised sample (n=250), stratified by sex and academic year group, comprising undergraduate oral hygiene BOH total students = 90 and dentistry BDS total students = 450 (UWC, 2020) was used. Data was gathered via an online survey, (Google Forms). Survey questions included the GAD-7, FCV-19S questionnaire, and Food Security scales. The data were analysed using Epi Info 7. The response rate was 36% (n=90); 69.67% were female; the mean age was 22.34 (SD = 2.66); 91% lived with their parents during lockdown. Students’ main sources of funding were parents (47%), NSFAS or bursary (42%) and self-funded (11%). Substantial psychosocial effects with high anxiety (33%), fear of COVID-19 (47.3 %), and a lesser effect for food insecurity (FI) (5.49%) was reported. The study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to psychosocial effects in a discipline that under ‘normal” conditions is experienced as stressful. This requires educational institutions to develop a targeted approach through relevant support systems that would identify vulnerable students at critical times

Dental educators’ views and knowledge of competencies required within a competency framework

The aim of the study was twofold; first was to explore and describe dental educators’ views of the competencies required within the AfriMEDS core competency framework. The second was to highlight the views of the dental educators, regarding the alignment of the AfriMEDS core competencies, with the dental curriculum. A case study approach to qualitative inquiry was used. The participants were purposefully selected, and two focus group discussions were conducted. An interview protocol was used to guide the discussions. The gathered data from the discussions were transcribed verbatim, and uploaded to the Atlas ti program for data analysis. Themes were identified from the findings of the thematic analysis. Results Dental educators required some guidance and clarity on the AfriMEDS core competency framework. However, they were able to recognize the competencies related to the AfriMEDS core competency framework. Two of these competencies, evidence-based dentistry, and private practice, were highlighted as core competencies in this current study; however, in AfriMEDS, only certain aspects of this was described. The results of this current study revealed that dental educators were able to make valuable recommendations about the additional competencies requirements for dental graduates

‘Going virtual’: Innovative online faculty development during COVID‑19

In response to the national lockdown in South Africa due to the COVID‑19 pandemic, educational institutions adapted their programmes to meet the challenges of the disruption in teaching and learning. In line with this need, the Sub-Saharan African FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) was faced with the challenge of exploring innovative ways to continue faculty development workshops. The SAFRI programme focuses on developing African health professions educators as leaders, teachers, scholars and advocates for change at multiple levels, including individual, school and university, and the health professions.[1] The faculty development workshops, which are traditionally face-to-face, are placed at the end of the 18-month fellowship. Playing a leadership role in developing and facilitating these workshops provides a meaningful learning experience for the fellows to become active role-players and change agents in their own institutions and the broader community of practice. Participation may foster capacity development in areas such as leadership for educational interventions and support for academic activities. It also provides fellows with authentic opportunities to draw on the theories and exposures that were gained during the fellowship. Some of the competencies to plan and implement the faculty development workshops include self and team management, leadership, conflict management and the application of educational skills

Experiential learning through virtual and augmented reality in higher education

Educational technology can enhance learning by supporting the learning environment through various digital resources. There have been numerous emerging technologies which are able to bridge the resource gap in learning environments enabling students to get access to an abundance of resources on digital platforms. This paper presents a literature review, exploring the potential of using Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to support experiential learning in South African institutions. While there have been studies which aim to assess the use of AR and VR for educational purposes such as in mining safety education in South Africa, there is a need for studies that look at the potential of AR and VR in augmenting higher educational institutions such as universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges which require students to complete an experiential learning component in their studies in order to complete their qualifications. The study aims to establish the potential role that AR and VR can provide in enhancing experiential learning by providing students with practical experience in various educational fields, leveraging augmented and virtual reality technologies to simulate such learning environments

COVID-19 in dentistry - Ethical considerations

The reach of Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) has even reached the ethical guidelines for good practice from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).1 The health care worker should carefully consider the guidance outlined in several of the booklets as patient treatment has multiple dimensions where COVID-19 had impacted on clinical practice. Due to the nature of dentistry and aerosol generation, special care must be taken when treating healthy patients and patients that are carriers but do not realise that they are COVID-19 positive. COVID-19 transmission and aerosol dissemination may expose the practice team to hazards of infection. The risk is elevated when implementing aerosol generating procedures without any protective equipment. The oral health care worker (OHCW) and staff thus require the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as suggested by country-specific guidelines, for example, The South African Dental Association (SADA).2 To this extent, practicing dentistry in the 21st century is complex3 and amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic the OHCW is presented with more pitfalls. As the pandemic is showing no sign of abating in SA, this has presented the OHCW with a range of additional ethical considerations. These dilemmas may be resolved in a variety of ways following an understanding of the basic knowledge of core ethical values and standards for good practice outlined by the HPCSA guideline