Clinical Communication as an Essential Professional Competency for the Contemporary Dentist
Keywords:
dental education; dentistry; health communication; professional-patient relationAbstract
Introduction: Clinical communication is an inherent part of health care and takes on particular importance in dentistry due to the specific nature of dental care and the various communication demands that accompany it.
Objective: To reflect on clinical communication as an essential professional competency for the practice of the contemporary dentist.
Key Findings: Clinical communication is conceived as a process of interpersonal interaction during patient care, while communication skills correspond to specific abilities that enable one to function effectively within that process. Professional competence in clinical communication involves integrating and applying knowledge, skills, experiences, attitudes, motivations, personal characteristics, and values in response to the demands of each care situation. In dentistry, this competency takes on specific characteristics related to physical proximity, limitations on verbal communication during procedures, the interpretation of nonverbal cues, diagnostic and therapeutic information, informed consent, decision-making, aesthetic and functional expectations, the promotion of health-promoting behaviors, and the adaptation of interactions to different patients and contexts. Developing this competency requires pedagogical intent, progressive practice, simulation and clinical interaction, feedback, and performance evaluation, all integrated with teaching and clinical care settings.
Overarching considerations: Clinical communication is an essential professional competency for the practice of the contemporary dentist, and its recognition as such goes beyond the mastery of isolated skills. Its development requires explicit and progressive training beginning in undergraduate education, focused on the integration and application of communication resources in response to the real demands of dental care.
Downloads
References
1. Pérez-Caldevilla MA, Peguero Morejón HA, Núñez Pérez BM, Rojas Herrera IA. La rúbrica para la evaluación de habilidades comunicativas en Odontología. EDUMECENTRO. 2024 [acceso 24/08/2026];16:e2861. Disponible en: https://revedumecentro.sld.cu/index.php/edumc/article/view/e2861/html
2. Pérez-Caldevilla MA, Rojas Herrera IA, Solernou Mesa IA, Granado Abreu RS. Habilidades comunicativas de los profesionales de salud y sus particularidades en estomatólogos. Rev Cuba Med Mil. 2024 [acceso 24/08/2026];53(3):e024056413. Disponible en: https://revmedmilitar.sld.cu/index.php/mil/article/view/56413
3. World Health Organization. WHO strategic Framework for effective communications. Geneva; 2017 [acceso 24/08/2026]. Disponible en: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/communication-framework.pdf?sfvrsn=93aa6138_0#page=3.20
4. Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Ley de la Salud Pública. La Habana: Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular; 2023 [acceso 24/08/2026]. Disponible en: https://www.fgr.gob.cu/sites/default/files/Normasjuridicas/2026-01/LeySP2026.pdf
5. Núñez de Villavicencio Porro F. Psicología y salud. La Habana: Editorial Ciencias Médicas; 2001.
6. American Dental Education Association. ADEA Domains of Competence for the New General Dentist. Washington, DC: American Dental Education Association; 2026 [acceso 24/08/2026]. Disponible en: https://www.adea.org/docs/default-source/adea-main/education/adea-domains-of-competence-for-the-new-general-dentist.pdf?sfvrsn=4e16d8b2_1
7. Field J, Vital S, Dixon J, Murphy D, Davies J. The Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Framework: A 7-Year Review. Eur J Dent Educ. 2025;29(1):155-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.13058
8. Pérez-Caldevilla MA, Rojas Herrera IA, Solernou Mesa IA, Hernández González J. Las habilidades comunicativas en el Plan de estudio E de la carrera de Estomatología. Rev Médica Electrónica. 2024 [acceso 24/08/2026];46:e5735. Disponible en: https://revmedicaelectronica.sld.cu/index.php/rme/article/view/5735
9. Oliveira RS, Chaves IES, Pinto AGA, Freitas RWJF, Moreira MRC, Machado MFAS. Aspects of clinical communication in primary health care for older adults: a scoping review. Online Braz J Nurs. 2025;24:e20256822. DOI: http://doi.org/10.17665/1676-4285.20256822
10. Campato Junior JA, Fernandes Campato R, Fraga da Silva P, Pires Barbato Schwartz RM. Retórica e comunicação clínica: um exame introdutório sobre a linguagem como práxis ética do cuidado em saúde. Aracê. 2025;7(11):e9998. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n11-168
11. Moezzi M, Rasekh S, Zare E, Karimi M. Evaluating clinical communication skills of medical students, assistants, and professors. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-05015-4
12. Rutherford-Hemming T, Herrington A, Ngo TP. The Use of Standardized Patients to Teach Communication Skills - A Systematic Review. Simul Healthc. 2024;19(1):122-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/SIH.0000000000000766
13. Rao L, Wu J, Deng B, Hong Y, Wu J, Chen Y, et al. Efficacy of a hybrid case-based learning and simulated clinical encounter model versus lecture-based learning in dental education. BMC Med Educ. 2026;26:620. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-08937-x
14. Kantar LD, Ezzeddine S, Rizk U. Rethinking clinical instruction through the zone of proximal development. Nurse Education Today. 2020;95:104595. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104595
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mohamed Azis Pérez-Caldevilla
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors retain all rights to their works, which they can reproduce and distribute as long as they cite the primary source of publication.
The Rev Cubana Estomatol is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) and follows the publication model of SciELO Publishing Schema (SciELO PS) for publication in XML format.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Download PDF
