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KMID : 1144020220180010001
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Journal of Korean Association for Disability and Oral Health
2022 Volume.18 No. 1 p.1 ~ p.10
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Dental Education About Patients with Special Needs: A Survey of Korean Dental Schools and Regional Dental Centers for the Patients with Special Needs
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Moon Su-Kyung
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Abstract
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This study aimed to explore how Korean dental schools educate students about patients with special needs and the difficulties faced by educators. Data were collected from eleven dental schools and eight regional dental centers (RDCs) for those with special needs in Korea using a web-based survey. Of the eleven institutions surveyed, six covered special needs within their clinical education. Only six schools offered a separate course on special needs patients. The clinical education for special needs patients varied widely among institutions. Most programs included the management of patients with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities, such as cerebral palsy (100.0%), intellectual disabilities (77.8%), and autism spectrum disorder (77.8%) in their curriculum. The average number of hours devoted to special needs clinical education was ‘less than a day’ (37.5%), ‘a day or two’ (37.5%), and ‘three to five days’ (25.0%). Written exams were most frequently used for outcome assessment (87.5%). The commonly reported challenges were the lack of educational resources, and curriculum overload. Respondents also indicated a lack of faculty members who have been trained on special needs dentistry. More than 200 patients attend dental appointments at each RDC per month. Four RDCs were located within dental school hospitals. RDCs provide oral home care and oral disease prevention programs to caregivers regularly. RDCs also provide mobile dental services. Respondents from RDCs preferred students to observe patients during dental treatment (74.2%) or assist with treatment (74.2%) provided by dental practitioners. Students perceived that there are challenges as RDC primary treatment providers for patients with special needs, including ‘patient behavior management’ (83.9%) and ‘obtaining informed consent from parents or legal guardians’ (64.3%). Respondents from RDCs agreed that a postgraduate fellowship program for special needs dentistry should be developed.
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KEYWORD
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Special needs dentistry, Regional dental center for patients with special needs
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