Creativity and Ideation in Dental Education: Sip, Stain, and Glaze

Dental education for students is challenging and associated with high levels of stress caused by grades, assigned class work, or the atmosphere created in the classroom by the professor [1]. Stress affects students’ mental health and productivity [2, 3] Students pursue hobbies or engage in leisure activities to help mitigate the negative effects of stress on their physical and psychological health [4]. Current constructivist pedagogical approaches recommend creating opportunities for innovative and engaging learning environments that promote active learning in an environment that also promotes psychosomatic and social well-being [5]. Faculty can help minimize students’ stress and improve mental health by making structural changes in curriculum design [1, 3]. Dental faculty at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, implemented an innovative approach to teaching called “creativity and ideation.” The purpose was to foster learning in an engaging, relaxed environment that supports students’ emotional well-being. The idea was inspired by the popular “Art and Wine” programs, where people learn to paint while sipping wine. It offered those participants a sensory experience that engaged their minds in a relaxing environment. This concept was applied to the stain and glaze module in the second-year dental students’ Advanced Restorative Dentistry Course. Students are divided by administration into eight groups/pods of 18–20 students. These groups attend classes and clinic together throughout their tenure at the dental school. We had no flexibility to change the groupings. Instead, we randomly assigned four groups to the “stain and glaze” (SG) and four groups to “sip, stain, and glaze (SSG)”. As students entered the classroom, the SG groups were guided to an “art station” set up with paint brushes and a palette of ceramic stains (Figure 1). The SSG groups were offered and finished drinking a glass of sparkling apple cider prior to being guided to an “art station” (Figure 2). Faculty then directed each group in the step-by-step process of staining and glazing a CEREC crown. Since no bloodborne pathogens were involved, OSHA standards prohibiting food and drink did not apply. Our sequence also kept us in compliance with the data safety sheet precautions for the stains and glazes used. A six-question 5-Point Likert Scale Qualtrics Survey was administered to all groups with 112 respondents (SSG = 64, SG = 48). Statistical results revealed that the innovative SSG structure had a significant positive impact on the students’ self-care and mental health. For the question “The session helped me with self-care and mental health.” (Table 1), the SSG group (M = 4.13, SD = 0.82) is significantly higher than the SG group ([M = 3.63, SD = 1.23], t[110] = 1.98, p = 0.02). For the question “How did the session make you feel?”, the mean score of the SSG group (M = 4.19, SD = 0.73) is higher than the SG group (M = 3.89, SD = 0.88). The difference is approaching statistical significance (t[110] = 1.98, p = 0.06). Students in the SSG (Table 2) found this new structure to be innovative (M = 4.65, SD = 0.72) and would like to have more sessions structured in this format (M = 4.71, SD = 0.5). Strongly Disagree (1pt) Somewhat Disagree (2pt) Neither Agree nor Disagree (3pt) Somewhat Agree (4pt) Strongly Agree (5pt) Representative and unsolicited student comments included: “Appreciate your creativity in trying to change the (class) format”, “Very relaxing compared to other modules…felt more about enjoying the learning process than working hard for a grade” “Great break from the stress”, “Learned a lot”, “I would have loved to do the SSG”, “It was fun”. This study had some limitations, including a small sample size, N = 112. Even so, the results were, or approached, statistically significant. Since the university groups students into pre-assigned cohorts that remain throughout their education, the randomization could only be done on the basis of those groupings. Future studies could survey several consecutive D2 cohorts. Additionally we could further delve into the effect this type of relaxing activity would have on the learning outcomes for the students. Future surveys could ask students how the experience could be improved. Nevertheless, these types of simple but purposeful teaching adjustments can have a significant impact on students’ well-being. The authors wish to thank Carlos Correa, Certified Dental Technician at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, for demonstrating and leading the hands-on session of the stain and glaze module. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.