SOFT SKILLS IN DENTAL EDUCATION

           Success in dental practice hinges on two equally important components namely hard skills and soft skills. While hard skills deal with technical proficiency, soft skills relate to skills that determine a person’s ability to fit in a particular situation.¹ Therefore , graduates on completion of the course are expected to not only be clinically competent but also to exhibit good soft skills in order to be successful in their practice.

The various soft skills that are required to be taught for dental students mainly include communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, teamwork, lifelong learning and information management, professional ethics and moral, and leadership.²

Communication skills

           The ability to communicate with patients by listening to them patiently , observe and respond to their needs, empathise, understand and carry out treatment , communicating with their family members, with support staff and fellow colleagues in an organised and professional manner are considered as basic requirements of a competent dentist. Effective communication could further aid and hasten the diagnostic process and decision making and improve patient–clinician understanding and trust .³

Critical thinking and problem-solving

           Behar-Horenstein et al. described critical thinking as ‘intellectually engaged, skilful and responsible thinking that facilitates good judgement because it requires the application of assumptions, knowledge and competence and the ability to challenge one’s own thinking’.⁴ Practicing dentists should possess the analytical skill of arriving at a diagnosis, treatment planning and providing the most favourable treatment to patients.

Teamwork

           Unlike many other profession dental practice is a team work The dental team is composed of medical professional, different specialities in dentistry, auxiliary professionals such as chairside assistants nurses and technicians and other administrative personnel who play different roles in the successful completion of dental care procedures. Therefore, acceptance and respect for each member,cooperation and coordination between them is extremely vital for successful practice of Dentistry.^5,6

Leadership

           Leadership skill is necessary to develop strong working bonds and earn the respect and support of coworkers and patients. An efficient team leader should be able to identify each and every member’s strength and effectively involve all the members of the group by delegating the work wisely amongst the members.. Good leadership coupled with good managerial and business skills would facilitate a dental practice in seeking opportunities and expanding their services.⁷

Professional ethics and morals

           Professionalism refers to ‘the high standards that you expect from a person who is well trained in a particular job’.⁸ Professionalism also involves working within the bounds of one’s training and competence. Ethical dilemmas occur when there are moral decisions to be made given different choices. Ethics principles involve doing no harm (non-malificence), promoting good (beneficence), respect of people’s wishes (autonomy) and being fair (justice).⁹ These qualities must be nurtured amongst students so that they could deal with these issues responsibly.

Lifelong learning

           Lifelong learning is a very important attribute to self-regulate professionalism.¹⁰ It involves updating both the theoretical and clinical skills so that the dentist could provide a high standard of care. Hence, the importance of life-long learning should be taught and inculcated in the students at the dental colleges so that they are prepared to face the challenges arising with evolving science and technology.

How soft skills can be taught and assessed?

A combination of Lectures, seminars, clinical role-play with simulated patients, video presentations, interview with real patients, case presentations with problem based / case based /project based learning scenarios etc. have proven to be effective means of teaching soft skills. It has been noted that problem based learning (PBL) and case-based seminars provide fertile ground for the development of critical thinking. Departments should conduct clinical reviews to reinforce treatment planning and other activities that involve analytical processes. One can focus on utilising interdisciplinary education as a platform for teaching teamwork to dental students. During PBL sessions, students are able to practise teamwork by accepting roles and communicating with their peers. They are expected to analyse the problem presented as a team and use evidence to support their arguments. Empathize with the patients and handle ethical dilemmas responsibly.^11,12,13

           I am happy to say that the Rajiv Gandhi University Of Health Sciences has taken the initiative of incorporating soft skill training with in the curriculum and may see the light of the day in the close future. Since students hold their teachers as role models, they should be competent in these skills for students to emulate them.