Evaluation of an undergraduate community‐based course in Family Dentistry

This study aimed to determine dental students' expectations of attending a community clinic to provide family dental care and to assess how well the course met their expectations. Prior to the start of the course, 30 final year students were asked about the type and number of patients they expected to treat, the types of treatment they thought they would provide and additional skills, if any, they might gain and also about any worries they had about the course. The responses were used to compile a questionnaire, completed by the students after finishing the course. The students treated more patients a day than expected and underestimated the range of treatments carried out at the clinics, particularly trauma and advanced restorative work. Additional communication skills and increased confidence and quality of work were among the cited gains. Concerns expressed prior to the course had largely been eliminated, although some students still had reservations about National Health Service paperwork, treatment planning and running late. It was concluded that The Family Dentistry Course more than fulfilled students' expectations and it gave them enhanced skills in patient management and clinical competency.