Developing a Dental Training Needs Assessment Framework for Specialist Dental Nurses in Kano State

Specialist dental nurses perform critical auxiliary clinical roles in Nigerian dental teams, and systematic training needs assessment is essential for professional development planning in the context of evolving dental practice in Kano State. This study developed a training needs assessment framework for specialist dental nurses in Kano State, North West Nigeria. A professional framework development methodology was applied, drawing on a baseline competency survey of 85 dental nurses in government dental facilities across Kano Municipal, Nassarawa, and Fagge LGAs, structured consultations with 12 dental nursing educators and 8 senior dental officers, and benchmarking against the National Dental Nursing Board competency standards. Assessment confirmed significant skill gaps in digital radiography, instrument identification for complex procedures, four-handed dentistry for specialist procedures, and electronic clinical record management. The framework specifies a needs assessment cycle with five components: self-assessment against competency standards, peer assessment by supervising dental officer, patient safety incident data review, continuing education attendance records, and performance appraisal integration. Priority training domains identified are mapped to available CPD delivery routes. Expert review by eight dental education and nursing specialists confirmed the framework's comprehensiveness. Recommendations include Kano State Ministry of Health adopting the framework as the annual dental nurse professional review tool, incorporating it into appraisal processes, and using aggregate needs data to plan state-funded CPD workshops for priority skill areas across Kano dental facilities.

Keywords: training needs assessment, dental nurses, Kano State, competency framework, dental workforce