REVIEW OF TEACHING SOCIOLOGY IN THE DENTAL CURRICULUM IN HUNGARY

Abstract

Social and behavioural sciences are an essential part of dental education. To understand the uptake of dental treatment by the Hungarian population, dentists and dental hygienists need to study the way that society functions in the present century.

Aim: The aim of this study was to review the dental curriculum and generate recommendations to improve the dental undergraduate curriculum from the point of cultural and social processes, and of how to address oral health inequalities.

Methods: Content analysis of medical sociology in the dental undergraduate curriculum through a narrative literature review of the most important Hungarian and English research on dental sociology.

Results: The content analysis focused on three different parts of sociology, which were dentists, patients and doctor- patient interaction. 1) The dentists are presented from the viewpoint of professional socialization of dental students, main fields and components of professional attitudes and the social status of the dentists, the burnout syndrome among dentists. 2) Patients, the inequalities of dental status were explained on the basis of socioeconomic status; the oral health behaviour, the dental check-ups and other visits to the dentist were shown by the health belief model. 3) Doctor- patient interaction was seen to be an essential part of healthcare. Other aspects included: the psychosocial model of mutual participation, the sociology of dental anxiety, main regularities of dentist-patient communications, patient satisfaction and its psychosocial indicators criteria for good dentist behaviour and going to the doctor process are involved in the curriculum.

Conclusion: Because oral health is an essential part of the general health and well-being of individuals and yet there are significant oral health disparities all over the world, in the light of the results of this review, it is important to incorporate medical sociology into the sociology of dental health and develop a curriculum which is more practice- oriented has a closer connection with dental public health and prevention.