BMCActa Medica Okayama1472-69202112021What impact does postgraduate clinical training have on empathy among Japanese trainee dentists?53ENToshikoYoshidaCenter for Education in Medicine and Health Sciences (Dental Education), Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityShoWatanabeComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalTakayukiKonoComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalHiroakiTaketaComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalNorikoShiotsuComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalHajimeShiraiComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalYukieNakaiDepartment of Dental Hygiene, University of Shizuoka, Junior CollegeYasuhiroToriiComprehensive Dental Clinic, Okayama University HospitalBackground</br>
Enhancing empathy in healthcare education is a critical component in the development of a relationship between healthcare professionals and patients that would ensure better patient care; improved patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, patientsf medication self-efficacy, improved treatment outcomes, and reduced patient anxiety. Unfortunately, however, the decline of empathy among students has been frequently reported. It is especially common when the curriculum transitions to a clinical setting. However, some studies have questioned the significance and frequency of this decline. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of postgraduate clinical training on dental traineesf empathy from cognitive, behavioral, and patientsf perspective.</br>
Methods</br>
This study included 64 trainee dentists at Okayama University Hospital and 13 simulated patients (SPs). The trainee dentists carried out initial medical interviews with SPs twice, at the beginning and the end of their clinical training. The trainees completed the Japanese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for health professionals just before each medical interview. The SPs evaluated the traineesf communication using an assessment questionnaire immediately after the medical interviews. The videotaped dialogue from the medical interviews was analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System.</br>
Results</br>
No significant difference was found in the self-reported empathy score of trainees at the beginning and the end of the clinical training (107.73 [range, 85–134] vs. 108.34 [range, 69–138]; p = 0.643). Considering the results according to gender, male scored 104.06 (range, 88–118) vs. 101.06 (range, 71–122; p = 0.283) and female 109.17 (range, 85–134) vs. 111.20 (range, 69–138; p = 0.170). Similarly, there was no difference in the SPsf evaluation of traineesf communication (10.73 vs. 10.38, p = 0.434). Communication behavior in the emotional responsiveness category for trainees in the beginning was significantly higher than that at the end (2.47 vs. 1.14, p = 0.000).</br>
Conclusions</br>
Overall, a one-year postgraduate dental training program neither reduced nor increased trainee dentistsf empathy levels. Providing regular education support in this area may help trainees foster their empathy.No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.Japanese Society for Dental Materials and DevicesActa Medica Okayama0287-45473922020Toughening of Highly Translucent Zirconia by Monoclinic ZrO 2 and SiO 2 Particle Coating295301ENSoichiroUnoDepartment of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityMasahiroOkadaDepartment of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityHiroakiTaketaDepartment of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityYasuhiroToriiDepartment of Comprehensive Dentistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityTakuyaMatsumotoDepartment of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama UniversityNo potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.Nature Publishing GroupActa Medica Okayama2045-232252015Peptide-modified Substrate for Modulating Gland Tissue Growth and Morphology In Vitro11468ENHiroakiTaketaAra SathiGulsanFarahatMahmoudAnisur RahmanKaziTakayoshiSakaiYoshiakiHiranoTakuoKubokiYasuhiroToriiTakuyaMatsumotoIn vitro fabricated biological tissue would be a valuable tool to screen newly synthesized drugs or understand the tissue development process. Several studies have attempted to fabricate biological tissue in vitro. However, controlling the growth and morphology of the fabricated tissue remains a challenge. Therefore, new techniques are required to modulate tissue growth. RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid), which is an integrin-binding domain of fibronectin, has been found to enhance cell adhesion and survival; it has been used to modify substrates for in vitro cell culture studies or used as tissue engineering scaffolds. In addition, this study shows novel functions of the RGD peptide, which enhances tissue growth and modulates tissue morphology in vitro. When an isolated submandibular gland (SMG) was cultured on an RGD-modified alginate hydrogel sheet, SMG growth including bud expansion and cleft formation was dramatically enhanced. Furthermore, we prepared small RGD-modified alginate beads and placed them on the growing SMG tissue. These RGD-modified beads successfully induced cleft formation at the bead position, guiding the desired SMG morphology. Thus, this RGD-modified material might be a promising tool to modulate tissue growth and morphology in vitro for biological tissue fabrication.No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.