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Integrating community service learning in undergraduate dental education: A controlled trial in a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities
Author(s) -
Phlypo Inès,
Tobel Jannick,
Marks Luc,
Visschere Luc,
Koole Sebastiaan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/scd.12298
Subject(s) - curriculum , service learning , medicine , medical education , general partnership , promotion (chess) , service (business) , intellectual disability , local community , nursing , psychology , pedagogy , psychiatry , ecology , economy , finance , politics , political science , law , economics , biology
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.