Emma Morgan, an undergraduate dental student at the time of the study and supervised by senior lecturer Laura Gartshore, carried out a survey of final year dental students’ awareness and preparedness for DCby1. She found that only eight per cent of responders were aware of DCby1.
The majority of dental students were willing to examine a child aged under one year, even if they haven’t done so before, reinforcing the importance of transferable skills and student self-efficacy. However, they felt less prepared to provide breastfeeding and weaning advice which is imperative for the oral health of children who are at the heart of this campaign.
Emma, now working as a foundation dentist, won the BSPD’s National Elective Certificate for her research, and Laura has introduced DCby1 into the Paediatric Dentistry curriculum at Liverpool.
Claire Stevens, media spokesperson for BSPD, said, “A priority for DCby1 should be to ensure that it is included on the dental undergraduate curriculum. Our dentists of the future need to be fully prepared to see this age group and understand that prevention must be at the heart of any management approach.”
Work on this has already started with Emma Morgan being invited to be an undergraduate ambassador for DCby1 and there are plans for the research to continue at the University of Liverpool, School of Dentistry in the coming year.