Study the Effects of Communication Skills Training on Satisfaction and Anxiety Level of Dentistry Students and their Patients.

Moosavi H,Narimani S,Vosugh I

doi:10.15744/2454-3276.1.304

Abstract

Patient anxiety about the dental procedures is one of the most common problems in this profession. Most people avoid going to a dentist because of their fear and anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of communication skills training concerning satisfaction and anxiety level of dental students and their patients. The Ethics Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran (no 86379) approved this study. In this controlled experimental clinical study, fifty-one last year dental students of Mashhad University and one hundred fifty-three patients were participated. Through use of an Anxiety standard questionnaire and school average of scores, data were collected about the level of satisfaction and anxiety and scientific and practical skills. Students of the experimental group took part in the communication skills workshop. The questionnaires were collected and because of ethic principles, participants were identified with numeric codes. Data were analyzed with t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. There was a significant difference between satisfaction of interventional and control group. The communication skills workshop increased satisfaction of dental students (p=0/024). There was a negative correlation between anxiety and satisfaction (p-value=0.030, r=0.305). There was no significant difference between patients’ satisfaction, patients’ anxiety students’ anxiety in the experimental and control group. Communication skills workshop increased the satisfaction of students but there was no effect on patients’ satisfaction. There was a significant negative correlation between anxiety and satisfaction in both dental students and their patients. Communication skills increased the students’ satisfaction, had an indirect effect on their anxiety level, and decreased it. Communication skills workshop is useful for dental students and their patient and would have good effects on doctor-patient correlation.

Highlights

Patient anxiety about the dental procedures is one of the most common problems in this profession
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of communication skills training concerning satisfaction and anxiety level of dental students and their patients
Communication skills workshop increased the satisfaction of students but there was no effect on patients’ satisfaction

Summary

Introduction

Patient anxiety about the dental procedures is one of the most common problems in this profession. One of the important things in dentistry is to control fear and anxiety of the patients. About 40 percent of people in western communities are concerned with the dentistry and 20 percent of them have severe fear [2,3]. Surveys point that there is a significant relationship between individual communication skills of doctor and satisfaction of patient [6,7]. Improvement of doctor’s communication skills increases the satisfaction of dentist and patient and its effect on anxiety of them is undeniable [8,9]. Anxiety management techniques range from good communication and establishing rapport to the use of systematic desensitization and hypnosis.

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion