BACKGROUND: Narrative medicine (NM), a model for medical humanism, has become an effective educational tool to cultivate medical students' empathy. However, the role of NM in dental education still lacks experimental evidence. This study aims to analyze the effects of NM on dental students' empathic ability and explore the correlation between empathic ability and academic performance.
METHODS: A comparative study was conducted at Jinan University, China, during 2023 to 2024 year. The NM education program was integrated into the fixed prosthodontics course. The participants of this study were senior undergraduate dental students in pre-clinical stage. Control group students received traditional teaching and experimental group students received NM-integrated teaching. Self-report questionnaires of empathic ability and perceptions about NM as well as academic performance were analyzed in two groups.
RESULTS: A total of 134 participants were recruited. Empathy scores in the experimental group (n���=���62) were higher than those in the control group (n���=���72). In the experimental group, students writing parallel charts as coursework received higher empathy scores than students writing reflection reports on medical novels or films. Empathic scores were positively correlated to theoretical exam scores but almost uncorrelated to skill exam scores. Most dental students held positive perceptions towards NM, especially regarding self-development.
CONCLUSION: In dental education, NM as an educational tool for empathy is feasible. It might provide insights for dental educators in planning and managing dental courses that integrate humanities.
