Effective learning environments are essential for preparing students to navigate complex clinical interactions and deliver high-quality oral health care. This webinar will focus on strengthening communication skills when caring for patients whose experiences or needs may not be fully addressed within traditional dental education and clinical training. Drawing on established educational frameworks, the session will explore strategies for integrating person-centered care and patient-related behavioral and contextual factors into dental curricula. Emphasis will be placed on educational and clinical approaches that help learners build trust, avoid assumptions, and provide respectful, effective care in encounters that require heightened sensitivity and professionalism. Participants will gain practical insights related to curriculum design, learning environments, and clinical teaching practices that support effective, patient-centered oral health care.

Learning Objectives

• Describe key principles of person centered oral health care and explain why these approaches are essential for complex or sensitive clinical interactions.
• Interpret how behavioral, contextual, and patient experience factors influence building trust, avoiding assumptions, and fostering respectful communication in patient encounters requiring heightened sensitivity.
• Apply didactic and clinical teaching practices that can enhance student readiness for complex care interactions and improve patient outcomes.

Original Release Date: June 2, 2026 

Expiration Date: June 2, 2029 

Teaching Methods: Lecture

Questions? Contact learn@adea.org

Disclaimer

The purpose of this program is to educate and inform. Information provided in this program is not a substitute for professional care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests at this presentation express their own experience, opinions and conclusions, which do not necessarily reflect those of their employer or any organization or group with whom they may be affiliated. Expressed viewpoints and opinions by speaker(s), presenter(s), guest(s) and/or facilitator(s) are also not those of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), ADEA staff or the ADEA Board of Directors. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an endorsement by ADEA.

CE Information

ADEA is an ADA CERP recognized provider.

ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a continuing education (CE) provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at CCEPR.ada.org.

ADEA designates this activity for 1.0 continuing education credits.

CE credit is awarded for overall participation in the ADEA eLearn webinar, "Preparing Dental Students for Person-Centered Oral Health Care in Complex Care Interactions."

All speakers agree that neither they nor members of their immediate family have any financial relationships with commercial entities that may be relevant to their presentation.

Technological Assistance 

For technological assistance, please reach out to the ADEA eLearn team at learn@adea.org.  

Content Questions  

For questions related to the content or educational materials, please reach out to the ADEA eLearn team at learn@adea.org.  

Membership Assistance 

For membership related questions (e.g. login issues, password reset, etc.), please reach out to the ADEA membership team at membership@adea.org.