Penn Dental Medicine: Training Affirming Oral Health Providers
Eidos and Penn Dental Medicine partnered to develop standardized patient simulations to train future dentists in LGBTQ+ affirming oral health practices.
The Challenge
In its 2021 report Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research highlighted the limited existing research on oral health of LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as the documented barriers to care that they face. Research has also shown that students in dental medicine do not feel prepared to treat LGBTQ+ patients and many indicate little interest in that training.
The Client
Penn Dental Medicine is among the oldest university-affiliated dental schools in the nation. Committed to transforming global oral health and well-being through exceptional clinical care, innovation, education, and research, Penn Dental Medicine works to treat patients with compassion, respect, and exceptional evidence-based care.
The Work
Eidos developed curricular supplements, including standardized patient learning scenarios and accompanying instructor guides, for use in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program’s simulation lab. A group of expert informants, including Penn Dental Medicine faculty and doctoral students, informed the development of the training materials, providing both clinical expertise and training delivery considerations to ensure the curricular supplements met program needs.
The Results
The resulting simulation materials provide opportunities for students to evaluate and engage with standardized patients around elements of sexuality and gender that impact the delivery of oral health care, as well as culturally responsive skills for building LGBTQ+ patient engagement. Accompanying instructor guides provide faculty who facilitate the simulations with foundational information about key concepts related to the clinical scenarios as well as facilitation recommendations for fostering students’ critical thinking.