Dental Outreach Teaching Program

1. Dental Outreach Teaching Program Claes-Göran Crossner

2. Major reasons for establishing health care outreach teaching programs? • For health care mainly based in primary care • Due to the development of an increasing number of auxiliary health personnel

3. In 2002 the Norwegian parliament decided to establish dental education in Tromsø • To increase the number of dentists in Norway, and specifically solve the shortage of dentists and dental specialists in Northern Norway • Particularly familiarize the students with the tasks in the Dental Public Health Service such as public oral health programs and oral health care for priority groups • Focus on prevention and collaboration with other health care workers. • Develop a modern, research-based international dental institute

4. What are the Benefits? • Contact with real world, suitable patients • Experience of working in a dental team + work with other health and social workers • Carry out more clinical procedures • Better understanding of system(s) for provision of oral health care

5. What are the “Drawbacks”? • The student has to move • Increased costs and reduced ‘production’ for the community clinics involved • Students will be guided and taught by more or less un-calibrated dental personnel lacking necessary pedagogic qualifications.

6. 2007 External University Clinics Alta Tromsø Harstad Sandnessjøen 2008 Hammerfest Mo i Rana Målselv Finnsnes Narvik Storslett Hamar 2010 Skien/Porsgrunn Svolvær Bodø Trondheim? 2009 Mosjøen Namsos Lyngseidet Orkdal Skien A total of 20 external university clinics by 2010

7. The External University Clinic • 2 students per clinic (four months in the 7th semester and two months at the 10th semester) • An office for each student with a dental unit and a PC for electronic record registrations and network connection • One experienced clinical tutor (30 %)

8. The Tutor • Recruited on a voluntary basis • Required to attend primary educational and calibration sessions at the Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Tromsø (2 sessions x 3 days, in part clinical and in part pedagogical) • Yearly follow ups at Tromsø

9. The Student’s Performance • Number of patients seen: Mean (Range) 0-6 yrs 7–18 yrs Adults Total 2 (0-4) 29 (5-44) 16 (6-26) 47 (20-72) • Mean numbers of procedures: Intraoral radiographs 117 Local anesthesia 89 Restorations 80 Extractions 19

10. Dental Outreach Teaching Program (in Summary) • The tutors were very positively surprised of the production and mature performance showed by these 7th semester students • Acceptable manual dexterity • Early insight in “real life” conditions and the variety of aspects related to the public dental health workforce • Quantity experience/practice in different kinds of dental treatment procedures • Professional self-confidence facilitated by an experienced clinical tutor • Experience in dental teamwork (dentist–dental hygienist–dental assistant) • Experience of local dental outreach activities in pre-schools, schools, health centers, hospitals, nursery homes for elderly, etc. • The opportunity to watch and assist specialists, general practitioners, hygienists and assistants rendering their daily dental care

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