Integration of oral healthcare into undergraduate health professional educational programs: A scoping review. Issue 5 (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rojo, Jacqueline; George, Ajesh; Smith, Brandon W.; Ramjan, Lucie M.; Hunt, Leanne; Hartnett, Erin; Salamonson, Yenna
• Is Part Of: Collegian. Volume 29:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 755
• Page End: 766
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Scoping review -- Oral healthcare -- Undergraduate -- Tertiary -- Health professional -- Nursing; Nursing -- Australia -- Periodicals; 610.73099405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colegn.2022.01.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1322-7696

Abstract

Summary of relevance: Problem: Oral disease affects an individual's overall health and poses a significant global health burden. What is already known: Oral healthcare education has been integrated into undergraduate educational programs for a range of non-dental health professionals. What this paper adds: An interdisciplinary approach using of subject matter experts and simultaneous teaching of different students is a common method adopted to improve the oral health competency of non-dental professionals. Abstract: Background: Oral disease affects 3.5 billion people worldwide and despite this, it is not known the extent to which oral health education has been integrated into undergraduate health professional programs. Aim: To explore the pedagogical approaches used to integrate and deliver oral health education across nursing and other non-dental health disciplines. Review methods: A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR extension guidelines in January 2021. CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Education Research Complete, ERIC, Nursing and Allied Health Database, PUBMED, NDLTD, and OHNEP were searched and screened, yielding 5, 781 references with 18 studies eligible for inclusion. Findings were synthesised and presented as narratives and tables. Findings: While an interdisciplinary learning approach of simultaneously teaching students from multiple disciplines was adopted in only three studies, the use of subject matter experts was reported in more than half of the studies. Delivery of learning material occurred in varied settings and the assessment of learning outcome effectiveness focused on changes in knowledge, attitude, confidence, and skills competence. Discussion: Although only a few studies reported using interdisciplinary learning approaches, the use of subject matter experts in over half of the studies was a recognition of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Nevertheless, the superiority of any one approach remains unclear, due to the heterogeneity in learning outcome measures. Conclusion: Oral healthcare has been embedded in a small number of undergraduate educational programs, using a diverse range of pedagogical approaches. The use of subject matter experts should be commonplace when developing oral healthcare curricula.