Hiroyuki Kawaguchi 1), Tetsuro Konoo 2)
1)Department of General Dentistry, Hiroshima University Hospital
2)Kyushu Dental University
Hideaki Sugioka 1)
1)Medical Corporation M. Corazon, Hohoemi Dental Clinic, Director
Dental practice requires not only technical expertise but also communication skills that reduce patients’ psychological burden and promote mutual understanding. This study reports on an educational practice based on the “Dental Communication Method” implemented at Hiroshima Dental Academy and Kyushu Dental University. Through experiential group work, students learned practical skills such as listening, expressing, and cooperating, and deepened their self-understanding. Questionnaire results showed that before the course only 20% of students felt confident about their communication skills; after the course, 98% reported improvement. Students demonstrated increased awareness of communication as a learnable technique, higher self-esteem, and positive changes in attitude toward patient interaction. This report also discusses the structural limitations of communication, emphasizing that complete understanding between individuals is inherently impossible because of the transformation of information during expression and interpretation. Nevertheless, dental professionals can minimize misunderstandings by using empathetic, patient-centered communication strategies. These findings suggest that communication education contributes to the foundational development of dental professionals and should be integrated into future dental curricula.
Chigusa Tsukamoto1)
1)DH Management Association
In dental practice, the role of dental hygienists has expanded from technical oral care to long-term health support through continuous patient engagement. Trust-based communication is considered essential for promoting preventive behaviors and linking oral health to whole-body health. This study reports practical cases of empathic communication implemented by dental hygienists during initial dental visits and proposes a conceptual framework derived from these practices. A representative clinical case was analyzed, focusing on empathic understanding of patients’ unspoken feelings, narrative-based listening of life background, and decision-support communication that encourages self-determined health behaviors. Based on the case analysis, a three-layer practice framework was developed. The proposed framework consists of (1) empathic understanding as the foundation of trust, (2) integration of patient narratives with scientific dental care, and (3) decision-support communication to promote sustainable health behaviors. This practice-based framework suggests that dental hygienists can function as an early contact point for whole-body health by fostering trust and supporting patient-centered decision-making. Further studies are required to examine its applicability across multiple clinical settings.
Takayuki Oto1)
1)Department of General Dental Practices, Kagoshima University Hospital
Communication in health care, including dentistry, entails translation of professional knowledge into everyday language while attending to patients’ life circumstances, cultural context, and social resources. This enables patients to make informed decisions they understand, accept, and can implement in partnership with clinicians. However, novice learners often regard communication as dependent on innate talent or accumulated experience, leaving them few practical bases for deliberate learning. To provide an entry point without oversimplifying complex clinical issues, we propose a practice-oriented framework that uses the triune brain concept as a pragmatic heuristic rather than a strict neurophysiological model. The framework views clinical encounters through three lenses: a defensive-response mode, a relational-adjustment mode, and a decision-making mode. It guides clinicians to design responses for each lens that extend beyond verbal explanation to include nonverbal behavior, the amount and sequence of information, and environmental adjustments. The framework is intended to be iteratively calibrated in practice and incorporated into practitioners’ personal clinical style. Communication is essential, but it is not a universal remedy; clinical outcomes improve when communication aligns with sound knowledge and technical skills. Therefore, clinicians should avoid relying solely on communication.
Japanese Association of Communication in Dentistry