Training and Application of Student Standardized Patients for Dental Education

Background Stomatology is a discipline closely combined with theory and practice, and pays attention to students’ operation abilities and clinical skills. Current dental education is encountering the situation of more theory than practice. The evaluation and application of standardized patients (SP) are gradually increasing in medical education. Objective This paper intends to describe the advantages of student standardized patients (SSP), how to construct and apply SSP for dental education. Method Recruit SP of stomatology students, and select appropriate cases based on the actual cases and common dental diseases. SSP training is conducted by experienced clinical teachers. SSP is trained to describe the disease in patient's language and give a reasonable response to enquiry and examination. Result Qualified SSP can be applied in inquiry, physical examination, teaching and evaluation of common dental diseases. SSP not only provide students with repeated practice, but also enable students to understand theoretical knowledge and cultivate clinical thinking more effectively in real clinical reception. This model of SSP application could stimulate learning enthusiasm of on-campus dental student, improve student clinical skills and thinking abilities, as well as reduce education expenses. Conclusion Using SSP is beneficial to help students construct clinical thinking, learn communication skills and build a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.