Use of high-fidelity phantom human heads in veterinary dental skills teaching

Routine dental prophylaxis (‘scaling and polishing’) is a common procedure within veterinary practice. Historically, many veterinary students have relied on extramural studies (EMS) to gain competence in this technique. However, students may feel reluctant to ask to be allowed to carry out the technique while on EMS if they perceive they have not had sufficient training, creating a vicious circle effect which could lead to poor competency upon graduation. On the BSc (Hons) Oral Health Sciences degree at the University of Edinburgh, approximately 110 hours of tutor-led teaching is dedicated to routine prophylaxis in the human patient.

Adopting a ‘one medicine’ philosophy, veterinary students were exposed to a short pilot course in human dental prophylaxis delivered at the Edinburgh Dental Institute. Eighteen fourth year students spent two days in the phantom head lab, where they were trained on human manikins. Instructors were lecturers on the University’s BSc (Hons) Oral Health Sciences degree programme and practising dental hygienists/therapists. The pilot training was an abbreviated version of that delivered to Oral Health Sciences BSc students. One staff member from the veterinary school attended to give the veterinary clinical perspective. The students’ responses to the training were recorded and the instructors also reflected on the teaching process.