Development and evaluation of online education to increase the forensic relevance of oral health records

Abstract

Background: Human identification can be reliably established by dental comparison; success is significantly impacted by inadequate ante-mortem information. Previous Australian research revealed suboptimal recording of features important for forensic dental identification and compliance with Dental Board of Australia guidelines. We hence created and evaluated an online education programme aimed at improving oral health practitioner recording. Methods: An interactive learning module (ILM) was constructed and released to three focus groups representing practitioners with varying experience levels: Australian Society of Forensic Odontology members, third year dental students and the wider dental community. Pre- and post-participation perceptions were recorded, with percentage, mean, broad agreement, standard deviation and statistical significance between responses determined. Results: Improved recognition of importance of record keeping, knowledge, confidence, skill and motivation to learn was seen following ILM interaction. This was particularly significant for students, participants with 3–5 years of experience in their current occupation and those whose highest level of education was achieved in Australia. Conclusions: The ILM increased self-reported awareness, understanding and attitude of participants with different levels of case note recording experience; this can improve recording practises and aid forensic dental identification if utilized in undergraduate teaching and as a continuing professional development tool for dental practitioners.