Dental students' attitudes towards management of pain and anxiety during a dental emergency: educational issues

Adjunctive Dental Procedures and Pain Assessment Among a Group of Patients Attending Dental University Hospital at King Saud University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/purpose A large percentage of people still experience discomfort and pain during dental visits, even with advancements in instrumental techniques that enable dentists to manage patients in a pain-free manner. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and levels of pain induced by various dental procedures, including adjunctive dental procedures. Material and methods A structured, custom-made questionnaire composed of 20 questions written in Arabic with accompanying pictures of instruments to simplify instrument identification for the patients was designed. The questionnaire was designed to investigate and determine the factors that cause pain and discomfort during dental procedures and was introduced to adult patients attending their dental appointments at the College of Dentistry. All data were collected using an online link that was distributed to patients attending dental clinics at the Dental University Hospital at King Saud University either through their mobile phones or the researcher's tablet. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results A total of 158 patients participated in the study. The findings revealed that 50% of participants experienced pain from mouth mirror retraction and 28.48% experienced pain from suction. Participants also reported that the most common instruments associated with pain were the ultrasonic scaler (88.57%) and the periodontal probe (87.88%). Conclusion The findings provided valuable insights into the prevalence of pain during dental procedures and the factors that may contribute to this experience. Adjunctive dental procedures appeared to be causing a high prevalence of pain that could be avoided if dentists/dental assistants were more aware of it. These findings may have important implications for dental practitioners looking to reduce pain and improve patient experience during the provision of dental care.

Challenges and Opportunities for Dental Education from COVID-19

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, dental education has been profoundly affected by this crisis. First of all, COVID-19 brought physical and psychological health problems to dental students and educators. In addition, both non-clinical teaching and clinical-based training experienced challenges, ranging from fully online educational content to limited dental training, students’ research was delayed in achieving project milestones and there was hesitancy in respect of the COVID-19 vaccine. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for teledentistry and dental emergency treatment, and brought awareness of the advantages and high-speed development of distance education. This review aims to present these challenges and opportunities for dental education, and suggest how dental institutions should prepare for the future demand for dental education.

Association of Gender, Painkiller Use, and Experienced Pain with Pain-Related Fear and Anxiety among University Students According to the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9

Anxiety and fear are determinants of acute and chronic pain. Effectively measuring fear associated with pain is critical for identifying individuals’ vulnerable to pain. This study aimed to assess fear of pain among students and evaluate factors associated with pain-related fear. We used the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9 to measure this fear. We searched for factors associated with fear of pain: gender, size of the city where the subjects lived, subject of academic study, year of study, the greatest extent of experienced pain, frequency of painkiller use, presence of chronic or mental illness, and past hospitalization. We enrolled 717 participants. Median fear of minor pain was 5 (4–7) fear of medical pain 7 (5–9), fear of severe pain 10 (8–12), and overall fear of pain 22 (19–26). Fear of pain was associated with gender, frequency of painkiller use, and previously experienced pain intensity. We found a correlation between the greatest pain the participant can remember and fear of minor pain (r = 0.112), fear of medical pain (r = 0.116), and overall fear of pain (r = 0.133). Participants studying medicine had the lowest fear of minor pain while stomatology students had the lowest fear of medical pain. As students advanced in their studies, their fear of medical pain lowered. Addressing fear of pain according to sex of the patient, frequency of painkiller use, and greatest extent of experienced pain could ameliorate medical training and improve the quality of pain management in patients.

Community partnerships within a novel dental school urgent care center: Student perceptions

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

Oral health inequities and limited access to care cause patients to seek dental treatment in hospital emergency departments. In addition, conventional clinic models and curricular limitations may result in inadequate experiences for students learning urgent dental care. The aim of the current study was to investigate student perceptions of a novel dental school urgent care clinic model.

METHODS

A mixed-methods, cross-sectional study design was used to survey third-year and fourth-year students at a Midwest dental school in spring 2020 about their experiences providing patient care in the school's internal urgent care center. Along with a structured curriculum, the urgent care clinic model incorporates an on-site partnership with a community health center and a hospital emergency department affiliation that serves as a referral base to provide students with their learning experiences.

RESULTS

Of 81 students, 78 completed the survey (96% response rate). The majority of students treated 50 or more patients. From their urgent care experiences, a majority of students felt prepared to manage patients with acute dental pain and swelling (72/77, 94%), and reported a better understanding of interprofessional collaborations in dentistry (42/77, 55%) and the importance of providing urgent dental care to underserved patients (72/77, 94%). Most students (64/75, 85%) were more likely to offer urgent dental care services to underserved populations in future practice.

CONCLUSION

This collaborative school-based urgent care clinic model incorporating community partnerships provided transformative learning experiences, positively impacted student perceptions of their learning, and influenced future practice behaviors related to urgent dental care.