Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Eur J Dent Educ. 2019 Aug;23(3):316-322. doi: 10.1111/eje.12432. Epub 2019 Feb 22.
Left-handedness is the preferential use of the left hand in single-handed activities such as writing. There are many studies in the literature on left-handedness in relation to professional sports, medicine and surgery. Although dentistry largely depends on manual dexterity and hand skills, there has been little research to investigate the effect of left-handedness on clinical dentistry, particularly in Australasia.
To gain an insight into the clinical learning experience of left-handed undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Purposive sampling of left-handed students was done within the final-year class of undergraduate dental students, and they were invited to participate in a semi-structured group interview to discuss their clinical learning experience at the Faculty. Six participants agreed to participate, and the interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Collected data were analysed using a thematic inductive/interpretive analysis approach according to the constructivist grounded theory.
All participants reported having clinical difficulties being left-handed students learning using right-handed equipment. There was a common theme of experiencing hand and wrist musculoskeletal problems as well as feeling of guilt causing patient discomfort during treatment. The majority of participants reported incidents where they were told by their supervisors to learn practising dentistry with their right hand and they felt that little guidance was given on how to operate as a left-handed clinician. All participants perceived that being a left-handed operator affected their efficiency and confidence level in their early clinical years.
Left-handed students have a strong sense of adaptability. However, in order to improve the learning experience regardless of the difference in the operator's preference of dominant hand, students should be provided with appropriate equipment such as ambidextrous dental chairs and professional guidance, especially during their early career.
左撇子是指在单手活动（如书写）中优先使用左手。文献中有许多关于左撇子与职业体育、医学和外科相关的研究。尽管牙科在很大程度上依赖于手的灵巧度和技巧，但很少有研究调查左撇子对临床牙科的影响，特别是在澳大拉西亚地区。
了解新西兰奥塔哥大学牙科学院左撇子本科牙科学生的临床学习体验。
在最后一年的本科牙科学生中，通过目的性抽样选择左撇子学生，并邀请他们参加半结构式小组访谈，讨论他们在牙科学院的临床学习经验。有 6 名参与者同意参与，访谈进行了录音，并逐字记录下来。根据建构主义扎根理论，使用主题归纳/解释性分析方法对收集的数据进行分析。
所有参与者都报告说，作为左撇子学生，使用右手设备学习存在临床困难。存在一个共同的主题，即经历手部和腕部肌肉骨骼问题，并在治疗过程中感到内疚，导致患者不适。大多数参与者报告说，他们的导师曾告诉他们学习用右手练习牙科，他们觉得在如何作为左撇子临床医生操作方面几乎没有得到指导。所有参与者都认为作为左撇子操作者会影响他们在早期临床阶段的效率和信心水平。
左撇子学生具有很强的适应能力。然而，为了改善学习体验，无论操作者惯用手的偏好如何，都应该为学生提供合适的设备，如双手通用牙科椅和专业指导，特别是在他们的早期职业生涯中。
