Overcoming communication barriers between dental providers and persons with aphasia: An educational training

Objectives: Dental-related fear and anxiety are common. This is especially true for individuals with aphasia who may have difficulty reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking. Conversations between a patient and the provider may reduce these hardships. When communication is limited, challenges arise, and patients avoid routine dental visits in addition to needed dental treatment. Many of the communication barriers relate to a lack of knowledge and education on effective communication strategies. The implementation of an educational video on dentistry and aphasia is believed to be one way to combat this. This study aims to identify whether an educational video improves knowledge and confidence about communication strategies for individuals with aphasia. Material and Methods: 22 dental hygiene students participated in a pre-survey, 35-min educational video, and a post-survey. Results: It was found that four (4, 5, 8, 9) of the seven questions that were statistically analyzed showed significance between pre- and post-survey answers. Two questions were not statistically analyzed (10, 11), as the correct response rate was 100% in the pre- and post-surveys. Students’ subjective responses after watching the educational video revealed an increase in self-confidence and knowledge as well. Conclusion: The present study found that in general, the provided educational training was effective at increasing students’ knowledge about best communication practices for working with persons with aphasia, in addition to increasing their confidence levels when doing so.