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A good mix of information and empathy

At a dental appointment, the patient should receive sufficient and understandable information about their health and treatment – not too much and not in difficult jargon. 
“That’s something I’ve had to learn, as it’s easy to explain things too thoroughly and too theoretically,” Mikkonen admits.

“It takes practice in people skills to assess the patient’s level of knowledge and their informational needs,” Korpisaari notes.

She has many patients and even entire families that she has treated for decades.
 “Interaction is easier when you know the patient over a long time. But even if you do temporary work at different workplaces and you might only meet the patient once, you still need to ensure a successful patient encounter, as well as successful treatment.”

“Creating a safe atmosphere and building trust, collaborating with the patient and showing empathy are important skills for a dentist. You should also recognise the patient’s emotions and address them if necessary. That’s why it’s important to teach empathy to dentists,” says Senior University Lecturer Marja-Leena Hyvärinen of the Language Centre.

Mikkonen notes that clear communication and empathy are needed especially when delivering bad news to the patient.
 “It feels bad if the dentist delivers serious news indifferently, or in a way that makes the patient fear not only the illness, but its treatment as well.”

A dentist is not a robot

Eetu Mikkonen is a third-year student of dentistry, and he can already see patients in the teaching clinic under the supervision of his teachers. 
“My encounters with patients have been successful, likely due to the emphasis placed on interaction skills in my studies.”

Throughout Mikkonen’s studies, encounters with different patients have been rehearsed with fellow students pretending to be patients, as well as with real actors. The interactions have also been recorded on video and then analysed in great detail. 
“The videos have highlighted many things that that might not have been considered otherwise, such as the importance of non-verbal communication.”

What’s the effect on the encounter if the dentist meets the patient looking them in the eye vs. if they keep staring at the computer screen? What does the patient communicate through their facial expressions and body language? 
“The exercises offer a unique opportunity to revisit the interaction situation and analyse it moment by moment. A lot happens in a matter of just five minutes,” Korpisaari says.

Future dentists are not being taught a single style of interaction. 

“Professionalism and competence are important, but I’m sure no one wants to visit a robot-like dentist with a different face each time. The best style of interaction is one that comes naturally,” Mikkonen says. 

“The most important thing is for interaction to overarch the entire visit and to serve the desired outcome. Moreover, each interaction is unique, and the patient also contributes to it,” Hyvärinen adds.

Students hold interaction skills in high regard

Education in dentistry is currently being reformed in Finland, and Korpisaari hopes there will be room for interaction training also in the future curriculum. 
“This is also important for dentists with foreign backgrounds, for whom we provide qualification training.”

“Students are usually keen to be good at interaction.”

According to Korpisaari, interaction could be integrated into dentistry education even more systematically.

“At the teaching clinic, for example, feedback could also be given on the development of interaction skills, and these skills should be assessed in the same way as graduating students’ other skills.”