Communication in Dental Practice: Preclinical Training

Communication can be defined as the process of sharing ideas, experiences, attitudes and knowledge by transmission of symbolic messages. Dental medicine is an area where technical skills are not the only prerequisites for being a good health care provider. Soft skills, such as active listening to the patient, appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication, empathy, and respecting ethical rules are significant in the dentist–patient communication process. Consequently, they influence patients’ attitudes, satisfaction, and ongoing health-related behaviour. Therefore, a training course on communication skills has been introduced at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Medical University in Sofia. The aim is to improve students’ soft skills, and to form a behavioural design pattern concerning dentist–patient interactions.