Communication training in the dental interview was conducted for 5th-year dental students through role playing and simulated patients. The purpose of this training was for students, through practicing and observing dental interviews, to acquire interviewing skills and to communicate with patients by considering the patient's point of view. A questionnaire regarding this training was administered to the students. The results revealed that the students realized the difficulty and the importance of communication with patients. The results also showed that the students learned what points they should keep in mind, how they can improve their own communication skills by communicating with patients, and the importance of understanding the patient's point of view. Moreover, students believed that this training would continue to be useful.

The purposes of this study were to examine scales and to assess the effects of the training in clinical interviewing for dental students. The subjects to examine validity and reliability of the scale were 11 dentists and 25 dental school students. The subjects to assess the effects of the training were 16 dental school students, and were divided into a training group that was given the training and a control group that was not given the training. Kappa statistics revealed moderate agreement. The acceptable level of Cronbach's coefficient alpha for standardized patients in each case was obtained. The significant difference was found in the scores between the dentists and the students. The scores of training group and control group were not significantly different before the training. However, the training group had significantly higher scores than the control group after the training. These results confirmed the reliability and validity of this scale, and suggested that this training using simulated patient was effective for dental school students.