Papers by Patricia Neville
Open Book Publishers, Jun 1, 2023
PubMed, Mar 1, 2022
The #Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement thrust the dental profession into a period of critical ref... more The #Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement thrust the dental profession into a period of critical reflection. Whilst there is enthusiasm for critical reflection and change now, we know from other social movements, like feminism, that this initial phase or 'wave' of activity will subside, hopefully to be replaced by a next 'wave'. How will we nurture this moment of activism and ensure that this initial energetic phase of activism and mobilisation transforms into more sustained and sustainable change? This article offers a sociological-ethical framework to ascertain if dentistry is the progressive and responsive profession it claims to be in the immediate aftermath of the #BLM movement. The dual theory of justice developed by Nancy Fraser (2001, 2004, 2005) and its distinction of the role played by redistribution and recognition in the pursuit of justice will be used to illuminate the challenges that dentistry and oral health face in this regard. It then plots the current efforts of the dental profession against the known trajectory of social movements to adjudicate what has been achieved and what work is yet to be done to ensure inclusion and race-based justice.
Routledge eBooks, May 20, 2022
British Dental Journal, Dec 1, 2020
Advances in Health Sciences Education, Apr 19, 2023
While there is an emerging scholarship on decolonising dentistry, the debate about reflexivity, p... more While there is an emerging scholarship on decolonising dentistry, the debate about reflexivity, positionality and white privilege in dental educational research and practice is still at a developmental stage. This article aims to contribute to this nascent debate by contemplating the question-is it appropriate, or possible, for a white researcher to undertake decolonisation work in dental education? If so, what would it entail or 'look' like? To answer this important question, the author offers a reflective account of their ethical and epistemological journey with this very question. This journey begins with how I, a white researcher, first became aware of the everyday racism experienced by my racially and ethnically minoritized students, the whiteness of dental educational spaces and how my white privilege and position as a dental educator consciously and unconsciously implicated me in these processes of exclusion and discrimination. While this revelation led to a personal commitment to do better in my practice, both as an educator and a researcher, I continue to struggle with my white ignorance and white fragility as I strive to make my work more inclusive. To illustrate this, I discuss an ethnodrama project on everyday racism that I lead on and how, despite choosing a more democratic research method, hegemonic whiteness continued to make its presence felt through my 'going it alone' method of work. This reflective account reaffirms that regular and routine self-reflection is key to ensuring that racialised inappropriate and damaging assumptions, frameworks of thinking, and ways of working are checked for. However, my praxis won't evolve through critical introspection alone. I need to be open to making mistakes, educating myself about racism and anti-racist practice, asking for help and guidance from my minoritized colleagues and more importantly, committing to working with people from minoritized communities rather than on them.
European Journal of Dental Education, Apr 13, 2018
Introduction: The UK General Dental Council stipulates that professionalism is a key aspect of th... more Introduction: The UK General Dental Council stipulates that professionalism is a key aspect of the teaching and training of dental students. However, dental educators highlight that teaching dental student's professionalism can be challenging and students often rate this teaching activity negatively. This article documents a teaching initiative at one UK Dental School that aimed to strengthen the professionalism curriculum by introducing a Scrubs Ceremony for second year students. Materials and method: The Dental Scrubs Ceremony is inspired by the White Coat ceremonies that medical students have in universities in North America. It marks the students' first step in their professional and clinical development, with the signing of a pledge of conduct and public presentation of dental scrubs to each student. We report student feedback questionnaire data over a three-year period together with reflections on the merits and limitations of this alternative approach to teaching professionalism. Results: Student evaluation data shows that the perceived usefulness and worthwhileness of a Dental Scrubs Ceremony has grown since its inception in 2015. Most students enjoyed the symbolism of the ceremony, receiving their dental scrubs in a formal event. However, there was mixed evaluation for its effectiveness to teach professionalism. Conclusion: A Dental Scrubs Ceremony is a useful addition to the formal curriculum of professionalism in a dental school. It provides dental students with an opportunity to be inducted into the dental profession as novice dental students starting out on their professional career.
British Dental Journal, Aug 1, 2015
Routledge eBooks, Jul 30, 2020
British Dental Journal, Oct 1, 2019
Recent moves by public health academics and social scientists for increased recognition of the be... more Recent moves by public health academics and social scientists for increased recognition of the behavioural and social sciences (BeSS) in medical education in the UK have put the role and place of the BeSS in dental education back on the curricular agenda. Behavioural and social sciences have been a component of the UK dental curriculum since 1990 but, to our knowledge; have only been reviewed once in 1999. The aim of this article is to reignite a discussion about the role and place of BeSS in dental education in the UK. It reiterates the benefits of BeSS to dental education and dentistry in general, while remaining cognisant of the implicit and explicit barriers that can conspire to sideline their contribution to dental education. This paper concludes by making renewed calls for more integration of BeSS into the dental undergraduate curriculum as well as sectoral recognition for its contribution to the advancement of dental education and the professional development of dentists.
British Dental Journal, Apr 8, 2022
Primary dental journal, Dec 1, 2022
British Dental Journal, Aug 26, 2022
PubMed, Feb 27, 2020
To overview current developments in e-health and digitalisation in dentistry and identify gaps in... more To overview current developments in e-health and digitalisation in dentistry and identify gaps in the dental literature on this topic; Basic research design: a critical narrative review of published articles and relevant online materials; Results: Four themes are identified as characterising the current dental literature on e-health and digitalisation: 1) the impact of digitalisation on dental surgeries, 2) digital technology and practice management, 3) digitalisation beyond the dental surgery and in dentist-patient communication, and 4) digital technology and education. However, gaps remain in our understanding of the impact of digital technology on dental practice, particularly in relation to its ethical considerations. Following the example of the wider medical literature, the review introduces the field of critical digital health studies and identifies areas for future investigation and exploration based on its four characteristics: devices and software, data materialisation, data practices and data mobilities; Conclusion and Clinical significance: Digital technology is changing clinical practice and patient care. Dentistry needs to expand its understanding of how dental apps, digital workflow models and digital health information are transforming and disrupting dental practice in order to anticipate how this digital shift will impact on dentistry. The emerging field of critical digital health studies can signpost ways to improve research and practice on the topic in the future.
Open Book Publishers, Jun 1, 2023
British Dental Journal
Person-centred care is recognised as fundamental dimension of quality within health care. Models ... more Person-centred care is recognised as fundamental dimension of quality within health care. Models of person-centred care have primarily been developed from medicine, with little consideration of how they may, or may not, translate across to dentistry. Shared decision-making is an important feature of person-centred care and is highly relevant within many aspects of dentistry, including adoption of tailored recall intervals. The development of educational and training materials for shared decision-making in dentistry are to be welcomed, but any content must be relevant to dentistry and seek to promote a person-centred approach, rather than simply be used as a tool to increase NHS access.
peer-reviewedTwelve months ago we launched the inaugural edition of Socheolas - The Limerick Stud... more peer-reviewedTwelve months ago we launched the inaugural edition of Socheolas - The Limerick Student Journal of Sociology. The second edition followed within six months and we are delighted now to present the third edition of Socheolas, featuring six new articles by undergraduate students of Sociology at the University of Limerick. This edition again offers wide ranging critical discussion of key questions by student contributors. Topics addressed include the ongoing relevance of Marxist theory; critical evaluations of the welfare state; institutional racism in Irish society; critical analysis of digital technologies and two unique approaches to Irish identities, which are explored though discussion of hybridity, diaspora and symbolic ritua
Uploads
Papers by Patricia Neville