91̽»¨

The students in this program all hold a dental degree from countries outside the EU/EES. The education lasts one year, after which they can apply for a Swedish dental license and begin working within Swedish dental care system.

"The program helps foreign-trained dentists integrate into the Swedish healthcare system and provides them with the knowledge and training they need to feel confident in their work with patients," says Emina ÄŒirgić, senior lecturer and specialist orthodontist, who is also the program director for the complementary dentistry program (KUT) at the University 91̽»¨.

Safe environment

Being able to explain medical procedures in an understandable way is a crucial part of being a dentist. This communication with patients can be a major challenge for future dentists, especially for those who do not have Swedish as their native language.

It was great to practice without stress – I feel much more confident about real patient interactions..

When KUT students recently carried out a training session with the virtual patients, it was the first time the AI-based screen patient was used in teaching.

Every student should get to try this; I really learned how to structure the anamnesis!"

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"Communication and patient interaction are essential in dentistry. We have noticed that students sometimes feel uncertain about how to conduct conversations with patients, particularly when it comes to asking follow-up questions and explaining treatments in a clear way. With this technology, they can practice in a safe environment and feel more prepared," says Emina Čirgić.

Realistic training

The virtual patients are programmed to respond realistically to students' questions. Various scenarios are tested – one patient might be nervous before a procedure, while another may struggle to understand medical terms. The goal is to help students develop their ability to adapt their communication to the patient’s needs.

Students were overwhelmingly positive after testing the virtual patient training for the first time. They expressed great relief at being able to practice in a safe environment.

During the training session at the Institute of Odontology, Alma Rauer from the Unit for Academic Language (ASK) was also present, which Emina found highly valuable.

"If a student simply asks 'Do you smoke?', the patient might reply, 'Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean.' Alma was able to help them with strategies to rephrase their questions. It’s not always enough to just repeat the same words; sometimes, they need to add words like 'cigarettes' or use a different phrasing. This makes the training much more realistic," explains Emina Čirgić.

Further development

The project is now being evaluated as an educational research project. The plan is to further develop the technology and explore how it can be integrated into more educational programs.

"We hope to secure additional funding to develop this further. Digital patients can be used not only for dental education but also for nurses and other healthcare professions where communication is a central part of the job. This is a tool with great potential," says Emina Čirgić.

It was fun to talk to a patient, even if it was virtual – it felt very realistic!

The interactions between the first twenty students and their virtual patients have been logged for further analysis. This allows for the identification of common challenges and the development of even better educational training sessions.