College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Working with your clinical partner

Both in the fourth year of the BDS at the University of Plymouth, Dilan Patel and Alan Al-Zahawi share their advice on effective teamwork during clinics.

A guide to effective teamwork in clinics

What is the importance of working as an effective team?

The importance of effective teamwork is not limited to qualified dental practitioners. As students it is important to remember that we have a duty of care towards our patients and without an effective team, we may jeopardise the quality of treatment that we provide. Successful teamwork enhances patient care, safety, satisfaction, promotes efficiency, and allows dentists to provide comprehensive services while adhering to professional standards and regulations.

Steps to take in clinic to ensure effective teamwork

  1. Plan. At the beginning of the day, have a 5 minute brief with your partner outlining the day ahead. This will give you a good opportunity to plan for each appointment, prepare your station, and familiarise yourself with each other’s patients. This will greatly aid your time management and therefore ensure a more efficient use of the limited time you have with your patients.
  1. Mistakes get made. Your partner may be late, may forget certain instruments or be a bit slow with assisting during the appointment, but you must remember that they are not a trained nurse and are learning at the same time as you. By setting unrealistic expectations you will hinder the efficacy of your team. Both you and your partner must take ownership of your mistakes, learn from them and support each other to ensure they do not happen again.
  1. Maintain confidence. Your partner may be struggling or having difficulties with the treatment they are providing for the patient. It is imperative that you do not undermine them or say something that could affect the patient’s confidence in their abilities. If you feel like there is something important they have missed, then it would be better to have the discussion in a discrete manner or in private.
  1. Be encouraging. At dental school we are often faced with procedures that are new to us which can sometimes be nerve-wracking. Encouraging your partner and keeping their morale high can be of great help in boosting their confidence and keeping a positive mindset going in to the appointment. A confident and motivated clinical partner is more likely to provide high-quality patient care. This, in turn, leads to increased patient satisfaction and engagement.
  1. Reflect. At the end of the day it can be extremely valuable to have a debrief regarding the positives and negatives of the day. This is a good time to reflect on what went well and what can be improved upon in the future. Reflection is a powerful tool which when done regularly can help you develop your skills, improve your patient care and maintain a high standard of practice. This is achieved through identifying weaknesses and setting SMART goals.

Conclusion

The steps outlined above are not exclusive to dental school. They are transferrable to practice and even to every day life. Dentistry is an ever-changing field of study which inevitably comes with its many challenges. Effective teamwork guided by the principles of planning, support, confidence, encouragement and reflection, can be pivotal in ensuring the well-being of our patients and our success as current students and future dental practitioners.

Author bio

Dilan Patel

“I am currently in my fourth year at Peninsula Dental School. Since we began seeing patients in our first year I have had the opportunity to see a variety of cases and learnt a great deal throughout this time. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the patient satisfaction that can be achieved through treatment and have developed a great interest in Oral Surgery and Regenerative Dentistry which I would like to pursue in the future.

“Outside of dental school I spend my time travelling, playing golf and playing the saxophone which helps me find a balance between university and my own time.”

Alan Al-Zahawi

“I am currently in my fourth year at Peninsula Dental School based in Plymouth and the southwest region. In fourth year, we all live in Truro (the only city in Cornwall), where we see patients three times a week at a dental educational facility based at The Royal Cornwall Hospital. I have really enjoyed the increase in clinical time this year, especially the higher volume of prosthodontic work we are carrying out.

“My hobbies outside of dental school include exploring the beaches around Cornwall and playing golf if the weather permits.”

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Get published!

Clare Denton, editor of Bites, the College’s monthly e-newsletter, offers advice on getting your writing published.

It is becoming increasingly common for dental practitioners to raise their professional profile by creating interesting, relevant content and getting it published on one of the many platforms and channels now available. The Primary Dental Journal (PDJ), is the College’s quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles written by a variety of authors. You can read the specific author guidelines for the PDJ here.

There are several types of writing you can generate – reporting on clinical research, opinion pieces or more informal writing about experiences and ideas. If you specifically want information about conducting clinical research and publishing the results, you’ll find a comprehensive and free set of guidance on the CGDent website which will tell you everything you need to know – An Introduction to Research for Primary Dental Care Clinicians.

Here are some general tips about how to be a successful writer and publish your work.

1.  Choosing your audience and topic 

Your audience and article topic go hand-in-hand. Particular topics, or the angle you choose to focus on, may only interest dental professionals with certain special interests, and vice versa.  It’s crucial that your topic, the angle you take and your audience all align. It helps if you’re interested in the subject matter too. 

Read other articles on your chosen subject. Is there already a lot written about this? Can you approach the issue from a new perspective?

2.  Identify where you want your work to be published

Different channels and mediums demand different styles and tone of writing. A blog can be informal, whereas an article in a peer-reviewed journal would demand a more formal, academic style. Many publications have specific editorial guidelines to follow. Contact the Editor before you start writing to ensure they would consider publishing your writing. 

3.  Plan your work

Contact the publication’s Editor or editorial team and ask for clear deadlines and a schedule for the issue. You’ll need to know when you will receive peer review comments or editorial feedback, and when you are expected to have revised your paper. Most journals ask for a quick turnaround (three days usually) which you need to be prepared for.

4.  Attention-grabbing headline 

Although the title is the first thing your reader will see, it’s a good idea to leave composing it until you’ve finished writing your piece; the stand-out point of your piece will be much clearer. Titles should be eye-catching, humorous or clever, but also a true summary of the content.

5.  Give credit where it’s due

Compelling images or video to accompany your article are vital. Check the copyright of any visual material included and if necessary, obtain a permissions licence from the copyright holders and credit them. 

6.  Include a variety of voices

Incorporate poignant quotations from different stakeholders to bring your work to life. Quotations reinforce and validate the points you are making, add more detail and give a personal perspective from key players. If quoting from existing published work, make sure to cite the sources on your reference list.

Author bio

I have been the Editor of Bites since 2017, when I first started working with the Faculty of General Dental Practice and now the College of General Dentistry. My career in marketing and communications is centred around creating engaging content in digital and print, and I particularly enjoy the visual and editorial challenges this brings. When I’m not working, I manage a busy family life and indulge in long-distance running (my longest race so far is a half-marathon) and discussing the latest reads with my book club.

If you’re a CGDent Member and would like to write a blog for our Student Advice page, get in touch and tell us about your blog idea at [email protected]

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Tips for a successful first year at dental school

Sana Hussain, second year BDS student at King’s College London, describes how she made the most of her first year at dental school.

Starting the first year of dental school comes with a mixture of emotions – excitement, anticipation, enthusiasm – and it is completely normal to also feel slightly overwhelmed. I have recently finished my first year and have learned many tips about enjoying life at dental school, that I wish I had known earlier.

Time management at dental school will be the biggest determinator of both your success and how much fun you have. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of allowing studying to take over your day-to-day life, so it’s important to balance this. Despite what other people may tell you, dental school isn’t only about lectures and studying.

Schedule down time

My first piece of advice would be to schedule down time. This can look different for everyone; it could be a few hours a week for sports, or any activity that relaxes you. Ensuring you have a few hours a week to do this activity means you feel ready for the next week of learning. I joined a netball team where I have made many great friendships and met so many new people. I found it was a great way for me to unwind and do something I really enjoyed.

Keep a to-do list

Having a to-do list can be extremely helpful as it allows you to stay on top of lectures. It can become so easy to end up with a never-ending list of lectures if you leave them to the last minute, so make sure you do them as you go along the academic year. Consistency is the goal. Doing a little often means you are less likely to feel overwhelmed. By having a to-do list, you have a clear idea of how many lectures need to be done and how long they will take. By the time your end of year examinations come around, you hopefully won’t feel the stress of cramming and can avoid any unnecessary panic.

Join a society

During dental school, you will meet so many new people and have lots of new experiences. A great way to meet new people is through societies. Universities offer a wide range of societies that focus on all sorts of areas such as sports, world food, or the creative arts, so try to join the societies that interest you. There is probably a society for any hobby you already have, no matter how unique. And of course, societies are a fantastic way to pursue new interests, in things you might have not even heard of before.

Experiment with study techniques

The last thing I’d like to mention is studying techniques. It might be a while until you truly figure out what works best for you, whether that’s flashcards or mind maps. There’s no specific way to revise and you might find that a mixture of different ways of revising works best for you. It might also be the case that the way you have previously revised no longer works for you anymore and that’s completely okay. It took me a few months to find what worked best for me and even now, I still try to change some aspects of my revision. Don’t feel pressured into thinking there is a set time by which you have to know what works well for you.

Consider joining a study group

Study groups are another good way to revise. I found learning and going over content with others consolidated what I knew and highlighted the topics I didn’t. This way I was able to target my revision more effectively.

Many people forget that although part of life at dental school is revision and studying, it is not the entirety of your experience. If you only take away one piece of advice from this blog, please remember to enjoy dental school and make time to do the things you love the most.

Author bio

“I am currently in my second year of dentistry at Kings College London. Since I have only just finished my first year, I am keen to learn more about all the different specialities that dentistry offers. Outside of dental school, I enjoy playing netball and tennis in my spare time. I am also a huge fan of trying new foods and cuisines, always searching for the best new restaurant.”

Sana Hussain

This student advice blog was published in September 2022.

College of General Dentistry Blog

Two dentists, one award and 6,000 subscribers

Award-winning early-career dentist, Pouya Zohrabpour, features in the College’s new film and tells us about the innovative educational work he has been doing to support dental students and young dentists.

I remember the day I was studying with my friends for our final exams of dental school and we received an email saying that all our in-person exams have been cancelled because of the Covid-19 lockdown. This was right at the start of Covid. Being one of the Covid year graduates was a very odd experience and I never thought the start of my career would pan out the way it has. I am now a first-year associate dentist and have been lucky enough to start and work on many additional projects related to my dental work.

With my friend Dr Ali Gowie, I run a dental YouTube channel and Instagram account called Two Dentists. This was something we started during the lockdown as we both got bored of watching long one-hour webinars and wanted to create highly educational videos which were professional, concise and easy to understand. So much of dentistry can be complicated but we felt that if we did enough research, we could script videos and break down difficult concepts into bite-sized videos for young dentists and dental students.

Our first few videos, which have been some of the most popular on our channel, focused on the new patient examination. We have made videos on seeing your first patient as a dental student, best way to take a dental history, dental examination, essential diagnoses, radiology and treatment planning.

We have since expanded and released a variety of other videos such as our series on dental photography and Loupes, which have been very popular. After launching and committing to releasing one video every week, which we maintained for a full year, we have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback received from everyone. My proudest moment of our YouTube journey was when a friend of mine sent a photo of a lecturer at the University of Bristol (where I graduated) showing my radiology video to a group of final year students.

The Youtube channel has allowed us to collaborate with many dentists and be in a continual state of learning. We have been lucky to be able to collaborate with Dr Shivam Divani who is the creator of the My Dental Care App. The app aims to educate the general public on the importance of good oral hygiene and to show you how to protect your teeth and prevent dental issues. With Dr Divani we created a six-part video series which accompanies the text and images in the app. These videos have also been released publicly on our YouTube Channel.

My progress on the YouTube channel was one of the factors that led to me winning the FGDP Foundation Dentist of the Year last year – which I am extremely grateful for. I am now extremely proud to also be an Ambassador for the College and to fulfil my role in spreading awareness of the new Career Pathways to support young dentists like myself.

In my foundation training year, I had to decide if I wanted to do Dental Core Training or not. This decision was based on speaking to my friends and colleagues but I found it difficult to make a decision as everyone had different opinions and I was unsure of the pathway I wanted to go down. I am sure many others have been in this position and this is where I believe the new Careers Pathways programme can come in. As a young dentist, having a career pathway which has been mapped by a professional body and shows clear steps in progression gives me security in knowing that I am on the right path for me to expand my knowledge and become a better dentist. Whilst doing so, it’s great to know that my progression will be recognised by the College and I can work my way up to becoming an ‘accomplished practitioner’. I believe the Career Pathway will be a must-use programme for every young dentist who is currently in general practice looking for a structured pathway for continual professional development, enabling you to move forward and enhance your career with confidence.

We plan to launch the College’s Career Pathways in dentistry, underpinned by the Professional Framework, in June 2022. Look out for details in the June issue of our monthly newsletter – sign up to receive it.

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College of General Dentistry News

President discusses dental careers at No.10

On 29 March 2022, College President Dr Abhi Pal visited No.10 Downing Street to attend a roundtable breakfast meeting on access to careers and progression in dentistry hosted by the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on healthcare policy.

Dr Pal commented:

“It is great to see recognition at the top of government that widening access to dental training, followed by career progression based on merit and not hindered by inequalities, are vital in order to recruit and retain a workforce reflective of the population it serves and able to meet the UK’s oral health needs.

“For its part, the College of General Dentistry is committed to breaking down unnecessarily prescriptive and exclusionary professional barriers, and is developing a Professional Framework with accompanying Career Pathways that will offer all general dental professionals staged recognition of their knowledge and skills, and a range of routes to planning a fulfilling career in dentistry.”

The College will shortly be hosting a related live webinar:

Social inequalities when applying to study dentistry
Monday 4 July 2022, 7pm
This will discuss social inequalities and how they may affect students when applying to study dentistry. It will be free to view for all dental professionals on the day, and the recording will be available thereafter to CGDent members. Approx. 1.5 CPD hours. CPD e-certificates are free for CGDent members. REGISTER HERE

Related webinar recordings already available to College members in the CPD library include:

Why colour is the elephant in the room
A first-hand exploration of racial inequality and prejudice, with real life experiences from colleagues working in all areas of dentistry, and highlighting ways in which we can tackle inequalities and systemic racism. “This webinar was so, so important and impactful”
Approx. 2 hours’ CPD.

How to get the best from your career in dentistry
This webinar looks at career and development planning no matter your career stage, and for the whole dental team, exploring next steps and what courses and opportunities are available. It also provides information on CGDent’s development of Career Pathways to give your dental career a boost. 2 hours 15 minutes’ CPD.



College of General Dentistry News

CGDent offers students e-learning package 

The College of General Dentistry has announced that it is offering dental students access to a leading dental e-learning package. 

Students who enrol as members of the new College now have access to a growing library of over 350 online training courses and webinar recordings, as well as regular live seminars, through the ProDental platform. ProDental CPD is the UK’s largest independent provider of dental e-learning, serving over 30,000 users with live and on-demand content on their desktop, tablet and mobile devices.  

Since its establishment last year as the successor to the Faculty of General Dental Practice, the College has been co-producing webinars with ProDental on subjects of interest to the general dental team, including the College’s guidance and standards publications, the themes explored in its quarterly Primary Dental Journal (PDJ), and events to support its emerging Career Pathways programme for dental professionals.  

To date, the College has offered access to these – as well as to ProDental’s 900 hours of additional content, GDC-compliant CPD certification of all learning undertaken, and a bespoke online personal development planning tool (e-PDP) – to its Associate Members, Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows from across the dental team.  

This access is now available to Student Members of the College. All those undertaking dental education and training in the UK prior to registration are eligible to join the College as Student Members, and a one-off fee of £10 gives membership until the completion of their pre-registration study.  

Student Members also get free or discounted access to CGDent events and study days, regular news and events listings from the College, and online access to the PDJ and PDJ Archive, a rich resource of over 1,300 clinical and professional articles from a journal uniquely dedicated to general dental practice.  

Dental students wishing to enjoy these benefits should visit https://cgdent.uk/join/  

Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry, said:  

“One of the College’s key missions is to support dental professionals at all stages to progress in their careers. Our new offer for dental students will complement undergraduate studies while also enabling them to look beyond dental school and arrive armed and ready to succeed in the next phase of their professional lives.” 

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College of General Dentistry Recent event

Practice ownership: an introduction

Recorded webinar. Thursday 20 January 2022, 7pm.

Organised in collaboration with The British Dental Students’ Association (BDSA), this webinar is for any dental professional, including students, who wishes to understand what owning a practice entails, the joys of “being your own boss”, how to prepare for practice ownership, and the pitfalls.

Owning a practice provides huge opportunities for working independently, building up an enterprise, and practising in a way that suits the individual. However it comes with significant responsibilities.

The topics we explore include how practice ownership fits into a GDP career pathway, different models of practice ownership and preparations you can make before embarking on this route.

Speakers:

  • Dr Abhi Pal, President CGDent
  • Susan Nelson, Council member at CGDent
  • Milan Chande, Dentist and National Clinical Manager, A&U Dental
  • Simon Hughes, Managing Director, Medical at Christie & Co
  • Jitesh Jassal, Final year dental student at King’s College London, President of the BDSA 2021-22 and Vice-Chair of the Executive Board of the BDA Student Committee

CGDent members and ProDental subscribers can claim CPD hours for free and have access to the webinar recording.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members/non-subscribers who wish to claim CPD.

watch webinar

This webinar is part of the partnership between the College of General Dentistry (CGDent) and ProDental CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/. 

You may be interested in our recent webinar How to get the best from your career in dentistry, which explores a range of career pathways open to dental professionals and discusses how the College’s Career Pathways can support your career.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Why taking photos is an essential skill in dentistry

Mohammed Ahsen Arshad and Ahmed Ahmed, fifth year BDS students at Plymouth University Dental School,  explain the importance of good photography skills in dentistry and how to get accurate and effective images.

Being able to take good photographs is key skill that dental care practitioners (DCP) must possess and develop, as it allows them to do a multitude of things including: 

  • keep an accurate record of patients’ presenting dentition
  • convey more information when referring to lab, especially helpful in anterior restorations 
  • provide a powerful diagnostic aid when treating and referring patients  
  • allows DCPs to illustrate the effectiveness of their treatment  
  • useful for auditing restorations especially when considering Aesthetics 
  • marketing clinical abilities as a dentist through social media and clinical articles.  

In dental school you will be provided with a camera and undergo some training but the best way to learn is to practice and get comfortable with the setup. Quite often this is the first time you will encounter a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) and have to shoot manually. Learning to take photos in dental school will aid you in exit case presentations, and much more, and is an invaluable skill which you will carry throughout the rest of your career.

Consent  

Before you can take any photographs you must obtain valid consent and explain the purpose of the photographs. This could include recording wear, presentations, comparing shade after bleaching, educational purposes for illustrating soft tissue/hard tissue lesions. You must also inform the patient where these pictures may be used or posted. Photographs are often anonymized so patients need not worry about their confidentiality.  

Camera setup and settings 

In a standard setup you will need:

  • your camera body,
  • a macro lens (the larger the focal length the further away you can be from the patient whilst taking photos)
  • a ring flash.

Before you can make any adjustments you need to understand the basic function of each setting. As changing each one will lead to different results. 

Aperture is the size of the opening in which light passes through and is controlled via F values. 

Speed is how long the camera is open for this can be as little as 1/8000 seconds and as high as 30 seconds. 

ISO is sensitivity to light – as it increases the camera becomes more sensitive and can range from 100 to 6400. 

White balance is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. It is best to set the camera to daylight or 5500k.  

Top tips  

Use a scratch free mirror and don’t let it fog up. You can achieve this by warming your mirror up under some warm water beforehand.  

Keep the focal length the same in before and after photos, in side-by-side comparisons this will look much better.  

Don’t be afraid to move the patient, yourself and the chair as positioning is key  

Communicate with the patient and your nurse   

Use small cheek retractors  

Eliminate debris and distractions (saliva, makeup and lipstick) 

Ask for advice – your supervisor will have much more experience than you, ask them to show you how to take the best photos and how they do it

Finally, practice on each other.

Recommended settings 

Extraoral:  

Exposure mode: M 

Aperture:F9 

Speed: 80 

ISO: 200 

Intraoral: 

Exposure mode: M 

Aperture: F22 

Speed: 200 

ISO: 200 

Recommended positions   

Front view 

  • Teeth should be in full contact 
  • Show as much gingivae as possible 
  • Midline of the face should be used as a vertical midline of the photo 
  • Position of the camera directly in front and 90 degrees to subject 

 Lateral view 

  • Contra-lateral central incisor and contralateral lateral incisor and canine should be visible.  
  • Centre the photo on lateral incisor/canine region 
  • Vertical midline of the photo should be the lateral incisor/canine 
  • The horizontal midline of the photo should be in the incisal plane. 

 Upper occlusal: 

  • Patient position: Fully reclined, take photographs from behind patient if possible. 
  • Always use mirrors or retractors if possible. 
  • The buccal contour of upper centrals should be visible near the edge of the photo. 
  • Frame the photo so mirror edges are as minimized as possible. 
  • 45 degrees to the mirror surface 
  • Show as many teeth as possible. 

Lower occlusal:  

  • Patient position: Slightly reclined and head tilted back. 
  • Always use mirrors and retractors if possible 
  • Eliminate fog on mirror, can be done by warming mirror up with hot water 
  • 45 degrees to the mirror surface 
  • Show as many teeth as you can 
  • Photo should show: Incisal edges of incisors and facial and lingual embrasures.  

Author bio

I am entering the final year of the BDS curriculum at Peninsula Dental School. I look forward to treating patients and further developing my skills as a clinician. I have found a particular interest in restorative dentistry, OMFS and oral surgery. 

Outside university, I like travelling and learning about different cultures, reading about anthropology, playing chess and enjoy sports such as cardiovascular endurance training, swimming, football and basketball. In the future I look forward to graduating and starting DFT in 2021.

Ahmed Ahmed

I am entering my final year of study this year at Plymouth university. I look forward to graduating and starting DFT in 2021. Whilst at university, I have found an interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery in particular head and neck cancer surgery. 

Outside of university, my hobbies include playing sports, travelling and photography. Last summer I went to Japan and discovered a new passion for baseball which I hope to pursue further.

Mohammed Ahsen Arshad

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in August 2020 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Get the most out of your elective

Ridah Hasan, fourth year BDS student at the University of Sheffield, valued her recent elective in Vietnam and offers her advice on how to get the most out of your elective abroad.

I was lucky enough to go on my dental elective to Vietnam in February 2020. As soon as I got back, it was a matter of days before the UK was put under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve spent the last few months working on my elective project and reminiscing on my time away. I know it may be a while before we’re allowed to travel overseas again, but I wanted to put together a short guide on how to get the most out of your elective abroad and some tips I wish I knew before.

How to get the most out of your elective:

1. Start your planning early!

I found it really difficult planning my elective whilst having a full timetable at uni. Starting early is definitely something I would recommend as it gave me plenty of time to organise my elective and it also meant that I was getting flights and hotels for a lot cheaper than if I had booked closer to elective dates.
Make to-do lists and make sure you remember important things like getting your travel vaccinations – especially because you usually need to get multiple jabs and they can be spaced out over 6-8 weeks.

2. Plan your elective budget

I had been saving up for my elective since my first year of university as I knew I wanted to take the opportunity in my fourth year. It’s important that you plan your finances beforehand so that you can decide on your elective location accordingly. I would also recommend researching bursaries and scholarships that are out there for students – your university’s finance team may be able to help with this.
Instead, you may decide to do your elective in the UK, which will save you costs on travelling but many elective hosts in the UK also have an application fee.

3. Research your elective host well

The main reason you are on your elective is for the Dentistry, it’s not just a long holiday! It’s tempting to base your trip on places you want to see but it’s so important that you research your elective host properly. For me, it was important that I got to treat patients whilst away as I wanted to experience delivering treatment in an unfamiliar and challenging environment. I was lucky that I found an elective centre that allowed students to get involved but there are some out there that only let you observe.

4. Make a well-thought out itinerary

Making an itinerary helped me visit all the places I wanted to see whilst away, and it also helped me budget my money. I knew exactly where I was going on each day and could roughly plan my expenses depending on entry costs to certain tourist attractions. I never felt lost or overwhelmed which is common when travelling and trying to make the most of your time away. I also sent a copy of my final itinerary to my family so that they knew where I would be each day.

5. Learn some useful phrases in the language spoken in your elective country

As soon as I landed in Vietnam, I had no internet but had to ask for directions to the taxi stand outside the airport. I was so happy that I had jotted down some useful phrases!
Communication when treating patients is essential so learning some phrases or even how to count helps with this. It also shows that you’ve made an effort and are trying to get the most out of this opportunity. During breaks at my elective centre, we would practise counting to 20 so that we could count out loud when we were waiting for the acid etch or light cure.

I hope you found these tips useful – don’t forget to take lots of pictures and videos whilst you’re out there and have a brilliant elective! Good luck and stay safe!

Author bio

I am currently a year 4 BDS student at the University of Sheffield. During my time at university, I have discovered a particular interest in Restorative Dentistry and Oral Medicine. I hope to pursue my interest in this field following qualification, by applying for hospital jobs and attending related events and conferences. 

In my free time, I enjoy reading film magazines and contributing to film blogs. I also run a food blog on social media and enjoy trying new dishes, which I review on my page and sometimes attempt to recreate.

I am also learning sign language, and am a member of my university’s sign language society.

Ridah Hasan

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in July 2020 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Clinical reflections dissected

Aavan K Matharu, fourth year BDS student, Trinity College Dublin, shares her advice on writing an effective and meaningful clinical reflection.

As we treat patients in dental school, we begin the process of learning, growing, and understanding the importance of patient management and care. This process comprises of a unique experience, specific to each patient and individual, and essentially contributes to the development of a clinician. One of the most important things to keep in mind after assessing patients and completing their treatment is a reflection, of which many of us must complete for our portfolios during dental school. 

Carrying out a good clinical reflection becomes one of the many skills that are integral to the ongoing growth throughout one’s professional career. To help you understand the purpose of a reflection and how they are written, here are a few pointers I have put together to help you ace your portfolio or even help you deliberate on your clinical experiences.

  • What is the purpose of a reflection? 

The main idea behind a reflection is to understand what you did for the patient, why it was relevant, and what successes and challenges you had along the way. Each reflection is unique not only from a patient standpoint but also from a clinician’s perspective, and its importance lies in what you took away from the experience as a whole. When reflecting, think about how you felt during the procedure (was it stressful, was it rewarding), what you achieved, and what you struggled with or would change for next time. Giving yourself this opportunity allows you to better yourself, learn from your experiences, and overall, progress holistically as a growing clinical practitioner. 

  • Choosing a Model

Reflections can be structured using various types of models such as the DIEP model or the O’Driscoll model (what, so what, and now what). Most dental schools recommend these templates as it gives a reader/writer a simple, but well-rounded idea around what the reflection entails. As a student or clinician, the best way to choose a model is to select the one that best resonates with you and your thinking/writing style. This will help to guide your thought process while keeping your reflections on track and avoiding long, unnecessary essays. 

  • Avoid Explaining the Treatment

When writing a reflection, do not explain the entire treatment provided to the patient. Feel free to summarize the diagnosis and the treatment provided but do not describe how you performed the root canal, prepared a tooth for a crown prep, etc. Instead, explain how you had difficulties and successes while doing these procedures and how the procedures made you problem solve as a clinician. For example, if you completed a restoration, reflect on certain experiences (such as if the patient was nervous or had a limited mouth opening) and ask yourself questions like:   
–    How did you problem-solve?
–    How did you communicate?
–    Was there anything you did to make the patient more comfortable?
–    What could you have done that could have made the experience better for you and the patient?… and so on.

  • Make it Bespoke 

Some patients come with many challenges whereas others are simple and straightforward. One thing all your patients have in common is that they are all helping you grow as a clinician. So, when reflecting/writing about each experience, be unique and genuine in the way you critique how each patient tested you and helped you flourish. No two patients are the same, and the way you treat patients, communicate with them, and take care of them will always be slightly different. 

I hope these tips are useful to you during your portfolio write-up. Keep in mind that a reflection is all about how and why you did what you did but also what you could have done better from all aspects of the treatment. All the best! 

Author bio

“I am a fourth-year dental student presently attending Trinity College Dublin. Over the past three years, I have developed a keen interest in Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry. With one year of dental school remaining, I would love to be able to expand my knowledge in regards to what these fields offer by performing research with specialists and attending relevant conferences.

Apart from dentistry, I enjoy drawing/sketching and immersing myself in astronomy and cosmology. I also adore traveling and visiting multiple countries within four different continents has given me the opportunity to appreciate new cultures, food, and languages.”

Aavan K Matharu

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) in June 2021 and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.