Inès Phlypo1,2, Jannick De Tobel3,4,5, Luc Marks1, Luc De Visschere2, Sebastiaan Koole6. 1. Centre of Special Care in Dentistry, PaeCoMeDis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 2. Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, PaeCoMeDis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 3. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 4. KU Leuven Department of Oral Health Sciences, Forensic Dentistry and Department of Dentistry, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 5. Department of Head, Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 6. Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology, Dental School, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract
AIMS: The present report describes an oral health promotion project in a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities as a strategy to implement community service learning in undergraduate dental education. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two undergraduate students developed a project aimed to improve the oral health in residents with intellectual disabilities by educating caregivers. The impact was investigated by a pretest-posttest design, evaluating residents' plaque and gingival indexes and caregivers' knowledge, behavior, attitude, and self-efficacy. Findings demonstrated that within a semester, it was possible for students to obtain a limited but positive impact on the local community. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Based on the experiences at Ghent University, the following guidelines were suggested to implement service learning in a dental curriculum that renders both a positive impact on student learning and the local community : (1) integrate community service learning in multiple years in the curriculum; (2) use a stepwise approach from theory to exercises to extramural experiences; (3) create a partnership with a local organization; (4) organize long-term projects and annual follow-up to increase the impact; (5) involve supervisors from both the university and the local organization; and (6) establish an evidence based approach to benefit the quality of projects and to facilitate students to develop research competences.
AIMS: The present report describes an oral health promotion project in a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities as a strategy to implement community service learning in undergraduate dental education. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two undergraduate students developed a project aimed to improve the oral health in residents with intellectual disabilities by educating caregivers. The impact was investigated by a pretest-posttest design, evaluating residents' plaque and gingival indexes and caregivers' knowledge, behavior, attitude, and self-efficacy. Findings demonstrated that within a semester, it was possible for students to obtain a limited but positive impact on the local community. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Based on the experiences at Ghent University, the following guidelines were suggested to implement service learning in a dental curriculum that renders both a positive impact on student learning and the local community : (1) integrate community service learning in multiple years in the curriculum; (2) use a stepwise approach from theory to exercises to extramural experiences; (3) create a partnership with a local organization; (4) organize long-term projects and annual follow-up to increase the impact; (5) involve supervisors from both the university and the local organization; and (6) establish an evidence based approach to benefit the quality of projects and to facilitate students to develop research competences.
Authors: Rajbhushan Dande; Hari Prasad Gone; Hvn Saikrishna; Abhisek R R Sayini; Sai Teja R Malgari; Varshapriyadarshini Paramkusham Journal: J Pharm Bioallied Sci Date: 2019-02