Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the changes in knowledge, skills, and beliefs of third year medical students regarding oral and dental health before and after completing an oral health curriculum consisting of an online lecture and hands-on experience. A secondary aim of this study was to collect feedback on the curriculum to improve future learner experience.
Method: Third year medical students were asked to complete pre- and post-curriculum questionnaires regarding their knowledge, skills related to, and beliefs on oral health. The survey was administered via an online survey tool. Some questions on the questionnaires were repeated from pre- to post- curriculum, while others were unique to a particular questionnaire. Results were examined.
Results: Sixty-one students completeed the pre-curriculum and forty students completed the post-curriculum questionnaires. For all knowledge questions and skills-realted statements, there was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge and skills related to oral health following completion of the oral health curriculum. For beliefs towards oral health, although not statistically significant, there was a more agreeable response to beliefs statements following the oral health curriculum. Approximately ninety-five percent (36/38) and ninety-two percent (35/38) of respondents believed (strongly agree/agree) that the online lecture and hands on experience in the dental clinic, respectively, improved their knowledge of oral health.
Conclusions: An oral health curriculum can be successfully integrated into a medical school curriculum, and leads to improved knowledge on oral health and oral health related skills, including application of fluoride varnish.
