Curriculum: Using Person-Centered Care in Oral Health Decision Making

Learning Objectives: 

1. Recognize how cognitive impairment can affect oral health, communication, and dental care.
2. Apply person-centered communication strategies when interacting with patients with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.​
3. Identify appropriate adaptations to prevention, treatment planning, and dental visits based on a patient's cognitive and functional abilities.​
4. Recognize key considerations related to patient autonomy, decision-making capacity, and caregiver involvement.

By using the decision aid cards, predoctoral dental students will be able to: 

1. Explain common oral health conditions and prevention strategies using clear, patient-centered language. 
2. Compare treatment and management options by considering clinical needs, risks, benefits, treatment burden, and quality of life. 
3. Elicit patients’ preferences, priorities, and goals and incorporate them into oral health recommendations.