Incorporating special needs simulations into allied dental education curriculum to encourage inclusion, understanding, and empathy: A mixed method study

Abstract

Objectives: Allied dental practitioners increasingly encounter demands specific to treating patients with special needs and disabilities. New standards by the Commission on Dental Accreditation require dental and allied dental graduates to have didactic and skill-based competencies to ensure awareness of and effective treatment and recommendations for these patients. This study sought to determine if adding a special needs simulation activity into allied dental students’ curriculum would increase the student's awareness of and comfort level when treating patients with special needs. Methods: This mixed-methods study measures student perceptions specific to the efficacy of adding special needs simulations into the allied dental program curriculum. Graduating dental assistants and dental hygienists (n = 65) participated and were paired within their cohort. Didactic instruction specific to the diagnoses of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, and hearing impairment was provided. Following formal classroom instruction, pairs of students participated in simulation stations, one for each of the listed diagnoses. A pre-/postsurvey was given to evaluate any changes in student perceptions of patients with special needs, and a Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) postsurvey provided to evaluate their perception of the educational activity. Results: All 65 participants completed the pre- and postsurveys for a 100% response rate, and 61 (93.8%) completed the SEEQ. SPSS software was utilized to run a Wilcoxen Signed Ranks Test to determine significance for each pre-/postsurvey question to determine any statistically significant (p