Understanding how dental undergraduates reflect on their health behaviour change conversation skills: perspectives on a role-play task embedded in the curriculum

Background: Effective patient communication requires clinicians not only to demonstrate appropriate communication behaviours but also to recognise when communication strategies must be adapted in response to patient emotions and contextual cues. This capability may be conceptualised as communication insight, defined as awareness of one’s communication behaviours, recognition of contextual cues within patient encounters, and reflection on how communication strategies should be adapted. Simulation-based education provides an opportunity for learners to practice communication within realistic scenarios while engaging in structured reflection during debrief.<br/>Methods: A simulated patient communication skills activity was delivered to undergraduate dental students at Queen’s University Belfast within the InterSim simulation centre. Students took part in structured dental history-taking encounters with trained simulated patients portraying varied emotional presentations (e.g., anxious, grumpy, or talkative) within a simulated dental clinical environment. The activity emphasised adapting communication strategies while maintaining a structured history-taking approach.<br/>Following the encounters, students participated in a facilitated plenary and debrief designed to support reflection on communication behaviours. An anonymous post-session questionnaire was administered as part of routine curriculum evaluation. The questionnaire was informed by experiential learning theory and communication self-efficacy frameworks and included items relating to simulation realism, communication insight, communication self-efficacy, and the perceived value of debrief.<br/>Results: Forty-nine students completed the evaluation questionnaire, representing 87% of students who took part in the activity. Most respondents reported that the simulated patient interactions felt realistic (98%) and that the simulated clinical environment enhanced engagement with the scenario (100%). Students reported increased awareness of how patient emotions influence communication (92%) and recognised situations where communication strategies needed to be adapted (96%). Most students reported that the activity helped them identify strengths and weaknesses in their communication approach (94%). The debrief discussion was perceived as an important component of learning, with 94% indicating that it helped them reflect on their communication behaviours. All respondents agreed that the session was a valuable component of the dental curriculum and that similar simulation activities should continue in future teaching.<br/>Conclusion: Simulation-based patient encounters appear to be a feasible and well-received approach for supporting the development of communication insight among dental undergraduate students. Emotionally varied patient scenarios combined with structured debrief may help learners recognise how communication strategies should be adapted in response to patient cues. Further research is needed to explore how communication insight can be more robustly assessed within dental education.