Preclinical motor chunking and fine motor skill learning in fixed prosthodontics: Contribution of 3D printing and satisfaction of dental students

INTRODUCTION

In fixed prosthodontics, simulators are essential to students for a progressive transition from preclinical to clinical condition. With the 3D printing technology, we developed resin bars allowing students to better visualise by motor chunking technique. Main objectives of this work were to describe this teaching methodology used in preclinic among different promotions of second, third and fourth dental years and to evaluate students' feedback.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two hundred seventy resin strips were digitally designed and printed in resin. All participants from second, third and fourth had to fulfil a User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) after the preclinical work. The scales of this questionnaire covered the complete impression of the user experience. Both classical aspects of usability (efficiency, insight and reliability) and aspects of user experience (originality, stimulation) were measured.

RESULTS

For the second dental years, 'Attractiveness', 'Stimulation' and 'Novelty' were considered 'Excellent'. For the third dental year, novelty average was considered as 'Excellent'. For the fourth dental year, 'novelty' was considered as 'Good'.

DISCUSSION

The resin plates used in this study are original and stimulating for the students, especially for the second-year dental students who found the exercises useful for their learning. This method can also be used by creating scenarios close to the clinical situations encountered in dentistry departments (more dilapidated teeth, preparation of inlays, post and core, etc.). This 3D printed simulation model is not intended to replace the Frasaco® models but is a complement to the learning process.

Exam evaluation in prosthodontics across preclinical and clinical years from students' perspective: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to explore the students' perceptions and performance in prosthodontics theory exam.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 560 (80.82%) students of different levels (third, fourth and fifth years) to explore their opinions and performance with regard to a number of issues on a prosthodontics theory exam (exam evaluation, exam preparation, exam material, exam timing). Demographic data were also collected. Descriptive statistics were generated and Chi-square test, independent sample t-test, ANOVA test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to examine the associations between different variables. The significance level was set at p < .05.

RESULTS

Students' responses regarding exam evaluation was influenced by their gender, study level, high-school Grade Point Average (GPA) and undergraduate cumulative GPA. Perceived exam difficulty was significantly affected by gender (p = .03) and study level (p < .001), and negatively correlated to both high-school GPA (p < .001) and university GPA (p = .03). The vast majority (88.2%) depended on lecture hand-outs and lecture notes for study. Exam material and preparation were not significantly affected by any of the demographic variables with most respondents (76.8%) thinking that the lectures blended with prosthodontics laboratories/clinics would improve their understanding of the exam material. The suggested best time to conduct the exam was early afternoon (31.6%). Student performance was significantly affected by the study level (p < .001) and cumulative GPA (p < .001) with significant positive correlation between the high-school GPA and the mark in the exam (r = .29, p < .001) and by the amount of time students spent for exam preparation (p < .001). Those students who reported using textbooks to prepare for the exam got significantly higher marks (66.1 ± 8.7) compared to the students who did not (62.8 ± 9.7) (p = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

Course level, GPA and gender were identified as the most influential factors in different aspects of exam evaluation and students' performance. Regular study and use of textbooks were demonstrated to improve academic performance. Additional orientation and guidance relating to the exam (especially for third year students) would be welcomed, as would alternate teaching methods such as small group discussions or study groups.

An assessment of preclinical removable prosthodontics based on multiple-choice questions: Stakeholders' perceptions

PURPOSE

Item analysis of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is an essential tool for identifying items that can be stored, revised, or discarded to build a quality MCQ bank. This study analyzed MCQs based on item analysis to develop a pool of valid and reliable items and investigate stakeholders' perceptions regarding MCQs in a written summative assessment (WSA) based on this item analysis.

METHODS

In this descriptive study, 55 questions each from 2016 to 2019 of WSA in preclinical removable prosthodontics for fourth-year undergraduate dentistry students were analyzed for item analysis. Items were categorized according to their difficulty index (DIF I) and discrimination index (DI). Students (2021-2022) were assessed using this question bank. Students' perceptions of and feedback from faculty members concerning this assessment were collected using a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

Of 220 items when both indices (DIF I and DI) were combined, 144 (65.5%) were retained in the question bank, 66 (30%) required revision before incorporation into the question bank, and only 10 (4.5%) were discarded. The mean DIF I and DI values were 69% (standard deviation [Std.Dev] = 19) and 0.22 (Std.Dev = 0.16), respectively, for 220 MCQs. The mean scores from the questionnaire for students and feedback from faculty members ranged from 3.50 to 4.04 and from 4 to 5, respectively, indicating that stakeholders tended to agree and strongly agree, respectively, with the proposed statements.

CONCLUSION

This study assisted the prosthodontics department in creating a set of prevalidated questions with known difficulty and discrimination capacity.

Pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents' stress, career satisfaction, and gender-based discrimination/harassment

OBJECTIVES

Dental residents experience high stress in their demanding programs and gender-based harassment/discrimination can contribute to their stress. The objectives were to compare stress, satisfaction, experienced sexual harassment and observed discrimination of women in dental graduate programs with high, medium, and low percentages of women and to explore relationships between these constructs of interest.

METHODS

Note that, 112 pediatric dentistry (PD), 44 prosthodontics, and 56 oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residents responded to a survey.

RESULTS

PD residents had the lowest personal life-related stress (4-point scale with 4 = very stressful: PD = 2.99/P = 3.67/OMS = 3.56; p < 0.001), faculty-related stress (2.68/3.66/3.03; p < 0.001), lack of confidence-related stress (2.79/3.31/2.96; p < 0.01) and academic stress (2.65/3.24/3.02; p < 0.001), while prosthodontics residents had the highest stress levels. The average frequency of experiencing sexual harassment was highest for OMS residents and lowest for PD residents (5-point scale with 1 = never: 1.15/2.62/2.74; p < 0.001). PD residents observed least and OMS residents most frequently that female residents were treated less positively by other residents because of their gender (1.59/2.57/3.00; p < 0.001). Prosthodontics residents had the lowest job satisfaction score (5-point scale with 1 = lowest satisfaction: 4.12/3.14/4.20; p < 0.001). The more frequently male and female residents experienced sexual harassment, the higher their personal life-related stress, faculty-related stress, lack of confidence-related stress, and academic stress, and the lower their career satisfaction, specialty content satisfaction, and stress-related satisfaction. Women's frequencies of observed gender-based discrimination were associated with higher stress and lower satisfaction, while men's frequencies of these observations were not associated with stress, but associated with increased satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental residents' stress, career satisfaction, experienced sexual harassment, and observed discrimination of women residents differ depending on the dental specialty program. Both male and female residents report more stress and less satisfaction the more they experience sexual harassment. The more women observe discrimination of women, the more stressed and the less satisfied they are. For men, the frequencies of these observations are not associated with stress, but positively associated with increased satisfaction.

Modular training model for education of students in restorative and prosthodontic dentistry

INTRODUCTION

At the moment, no commercial model solution is available for the individualisation of the dentition depending on the clinical case scenario. Furthermore, the realistic training of most restorative and prosthodontic procedures on a single dental study model is not possible. The aim of this study was the creation of a new training model to fill this gap.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Complete upper and lower jaw models were created based on existing scans and radiological data from a patient. All components for 100 complete models and 1128 teeth for the training were produced with a SLA-printer. Overall, 94 voluntary students attending the first and second preclinical course in prosthodontics tested the functionality of the model with three different tooth types against a standard dental study model and real teeth. After the training, the model was rated in a questionnaire.

RESULTS

The production of the models and teeth was feasible. The overall rating of the different teeth was worse for type I (Ø 3.6 ± 1.1), significantly better for type II (Ø 2.5 ± 1.0) and type III (Ø 2.4 ± 1.0) than a standard typodont tooth (Ø 2.7 ± 1.1). The new model was rated significantly better overall (Ø 2.6 ± 1.0) than the standard training model (Ø 3.0 ± 1.1).

CONCLUSIONS

The aim of this study was fulfilled. A superior training model was created with equivalent and better tooth types. The new teeth were outstanding in terms of cost-efficiency, appearance and feeling during preparation.

Self-assessment skills of undergraduate dental students in the preclinical course of complete removable prosthodontics at Tehran University of Medical Sciences

INTRODUCTION

This study evaluated the self-assessment skills of third-year dental students regarding their performance in complete removable prosthodontics (CRP) preclinical course.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on all third-year dental students attending the International Dental College of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The students were requested to self-assess their performance in primary impression making, custom tray fabrication, border moulding, final impression making, master cast fabrication, record-base fabrication and tooth arrangement in CRP preclinical course. The performance of dental students in each step was scored by themselves and their mentors. Data were analysed by the Mann-Whitney U, Pearson's correlation and t-tests (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Totally 25 male (55.6%) and 20 female (44.4%) dental students were evaluated. Significant differences were noted between male and female dental students in self-assessment scores regarding adequate extension of the custom tray (p = .027), the correct position of tray handle (p = .020), visibility of vestibular width and depth on the cast (p = .011), the coincidence of upper and lower midlines (p = .005) and correct orientation of maxillary and mandibular planes in the articulator (p = .036). The mean self-assessment score of female students was significantly higher than that of male students (p = .01). The scores given by the mentors were not significantly different for male and female students (p = .975). The difference between the self-assessment score of students and the mentor score was not significant (p = .067) either in males or in females (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

Undergraduate dental students favourably self-assessed their performance in all steps of the preclinical course of CRP, comparable with their mentor assessment.

Setting the boundaries and scope of practice for the two sister specialities of dentistry: Operative dentistry-endodontics and prosthodontics

Dental academia in Pakistan has recently achieved an important milestone. The name of Operative Dentistry speciality has been changed to Operative Dentistry & Endodontics (ODE). It was a much-needed change that was first felt about two decades ago. However, with the correction of name, there are certain challenges that this speciality has to manage now. These include improving the curriculum, setting up standards, and lastly, setting up its boundaries and scope of practice as some of its scope overlaps with a sister speciality called Prosthodontics. This overlapping of the boundaries of dental disciplines is a problem that is unique to Pakistan, India, and some East Asian countries where Operative Dentistry or Conservative Dentistry is combined with Endodontics. This paper aims to discuss the objective delineation of dental procedures and suggest a model of peaceful co-existence of sister dental specialities.

A survey on utilization and barriers of digital removable prostheses in the US dental education

PURPOSE

Gaining knowledge on the extent of digital technology implementation in dental education and the barriers to it will help inform future directions to promote the use of such technology and will enhance dental education. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of digitally fabricated removable prostheses and the potential obstacles to implementing such technology in US dental schools.

METHODS

A survey was developed and distributed to the restorative dentistry department chairs and postdoctoral prosthodontic program directors. The survey delivery protocol included follow-up emails 1 week, 3 weeks, and 4 weeks after the initial email. The collected data were analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

The response rate was 85% and 45% for predoctoral and postdoctoral prosthodontic programs, respectively. The results showed that 88.06% of the predoctoral programs and 95.65% of the postdoctoral prosthodontic programs implement digital complete dentures in the curriculum; however, the digital removable partial dentures implementation rate was recorded at 70.77% in predoctoral programs and 61.9% in postdoctoral prosthodontic programs.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental schools are challenged by cost, design software limitations, IT and laboratory support, and faculty training. Multifaceted support is instrumental in further implementing digital removable prosthodontics into dental education.

Profile of prosthodontics program directors in North America

PURPOSE

To develop a current profile of prosthodontics program directors (PPDs) in United States dental schools and describe the current challenges and responsibilities of those serving in the position and assess the professional needs of the program directors (PDs) to better support them in their roles.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey was sent to 51 participants who were identified as PPDs in North America via Qualtrics in 2019 to assess the professional needs of PDs to better support their roles. The survey consisted of 29 items organized into six sections: (1) demographic information; (2) hours and time spent in various areas of the job; (3) greatest challenges; (4) perceived importance of specific competencies; (5) opinions on the greatest rewards of the position; (6) their needs for support from the American College of Prosthodontists and advice for the future PD.

RESULTS

The response rate for this survey was 88.3%. Of the 45 respondents, the majority were white/non-Hispanic, followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders. The two largest and equal numbers of participants who worked for more than 10 years and between 1 and 3 years were observed with approximately 29% each, and PDs who worked less than a year occupied the least amount. Overall, 34% of PDs are on the tenure track and 80% of those are tenured. Teaching and clinical services took away the greatest time with approximately 42% and 22.1%, respectively. Thirty-five (78%) PDs listed the greatest challenge they encountered was the workload of the role. Skills listed in leadership and personnel competencies were all rated more important than most of the skills listed in management.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a wide gender gap and a lack of racial diversity among the PPDs. The biggest challenge faced by them is the amount of workload followed by budget and fiscal constraints. And for their improved efficiency, they gave emphasis on learning time management and continuous clinical training of newer advances.

Declarative knowledge in oral health: The case of the term 'centric occlusion'

INTRODUCTION

The lack of academic agreement in the practical or clinical use of declarative knowledge can generate unnecessary confusion and miscommunication. The concept Centric Occlusion (CO) is part of the body of declarative knowledge in dentistry, but its definition remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the CO concept in articles published in dental journals as a study case for the dentistry "corpus" of declarative knowledge.

METHODOLOGY

The alternative definitions of CO used by the GPT (Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms) from 1956-1977, 'CO as a synonym for maximum intercuspal contact (MIC)', or by the GPT from 1987-2017, 'CO may or may not coincide with MIC', were searched in the articles. The association between the CO definition used and variables such as article aims, journal scope and authors specialty was assessed.

RESULTS

Eight hundred and twelve articles were analysed. The widespread use of CO as synonym of MIC was the main finding and was significantly associated to the Orthodontics field. The CO definition according to the GPT 1987-2017 was less frequently observed but appeared in all dentistry fields, showing a significant association with the Oral Rehabilitation field. The difficulty of incorporating the current definition of CO (by GPT) into the main clinical discussions was evidenced all the long of the review process.

CONCLUSION

The lack of consensus in the concept use was confirmed by the present study case, showing the influence of specific fields in Oral Health declarative knowledge. This methodology can provide a tool to the academy to assess controversial terms or concepts in Oral Health education, thus facilitating the critical and reflexive learning by students.

Study of the use in autonomy of intraoral scanning systems to optimise dental students' performances in fixed prosthodontics practical learning in second year

AIM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the use of intraoral scanner analysis could help students to optimise their performance and their self-assessment abilities in prosthetic preparation without the teacher's assistance in the preclinical course.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ninety-five second-year dental students were randomly divided into three groups: Control group (C), CeRec group (CR) and PrepCheck group (PC). Group C only use silicon keys to control the preparation thickness. The students in Group CR analysed their work with Cerec™ software. The Group PC use a pedagogic software (PrepCheck™) which allowed comparison with the "master" preparation. They used control tools preparations for three consecutive training sessions. Then a final assessment session without control tool to evaluate their performance was organised. All preparations were objectively evaluated thanks to stl. analysis software (Geomagic® Control X). Each preparation was compared with the master preparation by defining tolerance ranges. An objective overall score out of 20 was assigned to each preparation according to their degree of correspondence. In addition, a questionnaire was performed to analyse the students' perceptions regarding the use of intraoral camera.

RESULTS

During the assessment session, no significant difference was revealed between the different groups with respect to the students' performance. The comparative analysis between the self-assessment scores and the objective scores using Geomagic® software showed that digital control tools did not help the student to improve their self-assessment abilities without the teacher's assistance.

CONCLUSIONS

The intraoral cameras and specific pedagogic software in autonomy could not improve students' performance for teeth preparation and self-assessment abilities in second year. These digital tools facilitate objective feedback on preparation defects, but constructive criticism needs human reflection. The teacher's opinions and advice remain essential to develop their students' performance and self-assessment skills. The use of digital tools must be integrated in dentistry course to develop the interpret of the results and optimise feedback.

A pilot study on the use of a novel digital real-time evaluation system in undergraduate preclinical training of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics

INTRODUCTION

In the light of the digital teaching, it is necessary that the effectiveness of a new digital real-time evaluation system in the preclinical training of tooth preparation be evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty undergraduate dental students of the fourth year were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group to complete the training task of tooth preparation for porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crown restoring the upper right central incisor. The control students received conventional training with instructor's guidance. The experimental students received training with the digital system without instructor's guidance. Every student exercised preparation in two resin incisors in 3 h training by respective training methods. A third incisor was prepared on a dental model in the simulated head phantom by each student as the test on the next day. All students' tooth preparations were scored by the same two experienced experts. The experimental students were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding their attitudes and opinions on the digital evaluation system in preclinical training.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the scores of the experimental group and the control group (p > .05). The students of two groups obtained the similar scores in the test (p > .05). Most of the students were supportive of the application of digital training system in the preclinical tooth preparation training course.

CONCLUSIONS

The digital real-time evaluation system could provide effective training effects for the dental undergraduate students in the preclinical training of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics.

Dental school quality assessment: Effect of student calibration on the outcomes of fixed prosthodontic cases

BACKGROUND

Quality assurance (QA) of predoctoral dental student laboratory work is an essential part of the learning process that involves evaluating the student's ability, providing constructive feedback, helping develop the students' ability to self-assess, and promoting collegiality and communication among students, faculty, and laboratories. Faculty calibration, while often difficult to coordinate, is also necessary to providing consistent student feedback.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether periodic calibration exercises with the fourth-year dental students and faculty impacted the number of student cases rejected during Quality Assurance evaluation of fixed prosthodontic cases submitted to The Dental College of Georgia laboratory tracking.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study provided evidence that ongoing calibration did result in a reduced number of incoming QA rejections in all periods reviewed except for one in which there was significant turnover among department faculty affecting QA calibration for that time period.

Computer-aided design software-enabled preclinical prosthodontic training: A digital education technique

The prosthodontics preclinical training modules involve textbook-based two-dimensional (2D) ideal images and practicing on manikin models to emulate ideal tooth preparations and teeth arrangements. Relying solely on 2D images as objectives for preclinical exercises limits the trainee's creative skills to instructions of textbooks and clinical instructions received. With advancements in digital dentistry, dental trainees should have early exposure to the three-dimensional (3D) rendering of ideal preclinical objectives. A dental education technique using computer-aided design software and smartphones is described that will allow 3D rendering of ideal prosthodontic training assignments allowing early exposure to digital dentistry for dental training students.

A comparative evaluation of student experience with artificial teeth used in pre-clinical fixed prosthodontics post-core undergraduate teaching programs

INTRODUCTION

Research is lacking in the use of artificial teeth for post-core techniques in undergraduate fixed prosthodontics pre-clinical education. The aim of this study was to compare the reasons for selection and explore the direct student experiences with artificial teeth used in two pre-clinical fixed prosthodontics post-core technique teaching programs conducted in consecutive years.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fourth year undergraduate dental students who had completed the fixed prosthodontics pre-clinical program were invited to complete an anonymous online surveys. Information was requested on the use and direct student experiences with artificial and natural teeth for post-core techniques. Quantitative data was summarised and qualitative data was clustered into topics. The reasons for selection and use of artificial and natural teeth were compared within and between the two programs.

RESULTS

36% of 70 respondents in 2020 chose to use one or more artificial teeth for the post-core exercises in the pre-clinical program compared with 94% of 77 respondents in 2021 (p < .05). The use was driven by difficulty in sourcing appropriate natural teeth. Respondents reported "ease of use" as the dominant positive user experience with the main negatives being "unrealistic simulation of natural teeth" and "different surface texture/feel when cutting."

CONCLUSION

Artificial teeth were reported to provide an appropriate and realistic simulation experience compared with extracted natural teeth and were easier to source. Students focussed on the practicalities of sourcing artificial teeth, associated costs and ease of use ahead of conceivable educational benefits. Cost limited the more widespread use of artificial teeth.

Overview and knowledge of prosthodontic diagnostic aids among interns and post graduates - A cross-sectional questionnaire study

Aim

This study aims to evaluate and compare the knowledge of prosthodontic diagnostic aids among interns and postgraduates.

Settings and Design

A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess and compare the knowledge of prosthodontic diagnostic aids among interns and postgraduates. Based on the pilot study with alpha error 5% and a power of study 80%, the sample size was estimated to be 858 for each group.

Materials and Methods

The self constructed questionnaire consisted of 3 sections, of which each section had 5 questions, a total of 15 questions validated by a team of 6 experts. The questionnaire was distributed electronically among interns and postgraduates in various dental colleges across India. Data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis.

Statistical Analysis

All outcomes of this survey were analyzed using an independent t test. The Mann- Whitney test was used to determine the significance of two groups.

Results

From the results obtained, it was found that interns (mean: 6.90; standard deviation: 2.442) had less knowledge regarding diagnostic tools than postgraduate students (mean: 8.76; standard deviation: 1.818).

Conclusion

Diagnostic aids simplifies the process of diagnosis and treatment planning. Moreover, the knowledge of diagnostic aids among younger generation permits them to redefine the way dentistry is practiced and at the same time helps to provide better treatment results and achieve the utmost for the profession. Adequate knowledge of diagnostic aids is the need of the hour. Dental professionals should constantly update knowledge regarding various diagnostic aids in Prosthodontics, so as to arrive at optimum diagnosis and treatment plan with longer prognosis.

Introducing dental students to complete denture treatment in times of COVID-19: Students' responses

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic required changes in the complete denture courses to comply with lock-in and social distancing requirements. The objectives were to assess (a) dental students' interest in a required complete denture course and the prosthodontics specialty, (b) how much time students spent on studying background, lab, and clinical content, and (c) how difficult and helpful course components were. Additionally, open-ended responses concerning what the students liked and what they wanted to have changed were analyzed as well.

METHODS

After this "complete denture" course, 81 of 109 students responded to a web-based survey with questions about course content and design. This hybrid course consisted of weekly asynchronous virtual lectures, in-person simulated laboratory (sim lab) exercises, and synchronous virtual workshops.

RESULTS

Exactly 53.7% were much/very much interested in this course, with nobody considering prosthodontics as their specialty. The students studied on average of 79.61 minutes for 1 hour (of background-related lecture, 69.92 minutes for a lab-based lecture, and 77.00 minutes for a clinical-content lecture (p < 0.001). They evaluated clinical content as most difficult, lab content as less difficult, and background material as least difficult (3-point scale with 1 = not at all difficult: means = 1.90/1.85/1.80; p < 0.001). They rated background lectures as least helpful, clinical material as more helpful, and lab content as most helpful (5-point scale with 1 = most helpful: means = 2.33/2.67/2.96; p < 0.001). Open-ended answers showed exceptionally positive responses for content and pedagogy of sim lab and clinical content.

CONCLUSIONS

Gaining a better understanding of students' responses to hybrid "complete denture" courses is critical for optimally teaching this material in times of COVID-19.

Influence of a major pre-clinical programme restructure on undergraduate student fixed prosthodontics clinical unit completions

INTRODUCTION

Research is limited in measuring the effectiveness of pre-clinical programmes in preparing students for fixed prosthodontics clinical practice. The aim of this retrospectively study was to assess the influence of a major pre-clinical programme restructure on undergraduate student fixed prosthodontics clinical unit completions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The fixed prosthodontics treatment registers from 2011 to 2020 were reviewed, and units completed per student (UCS) and units completed per student per session (UCSS) were calculated in the years before (2011-2013) and after (2014-2020) a major pre-clinical programme restructure (PR). Data were summarised in Microsoft Excel software (version 2016), and Student's t-test and paired t-tests were performed to determine the significance of difference in UCS and UCSS in the years before and after the PR.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the UCS (p < .05) and UCSS (p < .01) in the years before and after the PR. The average UCS in the years before the PR was 2.20 units compared with 3.86 units after the PR, an increase of 75% per student. The average UCSS in the years before the PR was 0.15 units compared with 0.28 units after the PR, an increase of 87% per session.

CONCLUSION

The fixed prosthodontics pre-clinical programme restructure resulted in statistically significantly increased student clinical unit completions.

Application of a multimedia-supported manikin system for preclinical dental training

AIM

In this study, we aimed to describe a multimedia-supported manikin system, compare the new manikin with the traditional manikin and evaluate its effectiveness in preclinical dentistry training.

METHODS

A total of 150 students participated in this study. Amongst these students, 71 in the 2015-year group used traditional manikins (Group TM) for preclinical training courses (endodontics training courses and prosthodontics training courses), and 79 in the 2016-year group used manikins with a multimedia system (Group MM). The scores of the training courses between the two groups were compared. A questionnaire survey was used to collect opinions of the students in Group MM on their experience of using the multimedia-supported manikin system in the preclinical training.

RESULTS

In the endodontics training courses, the scores of Group MM were higher than those of Group TM, but there was no significant difference (P = 0.379 > .05). However, the scores of prosthodontics training courses in Group MM were significantly higher than those in Group TM (P = 0.018 < .05). The questionnaire results indicated that the students in Group MM were satisfied with the device in usability, clarity, effectiveness and improvement in operation proficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

In the groups studied, for preclinical dental training, the multimedia-supported manikin system was a good alternative to traditional manikin in preclinical dentistry training.

Comparison between conventional teaching and blended learning in preclinical fixed prosthodontic training: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Blended learning utilizes technology with reduced face-to-face time and promotes a student-centred learning environment that excites the learning process. However, studies on blended learning in fixed prosthodontics is still lacking. This study aimed to compare students' performance in easy and difficult level of fixed prosthodontic preclinical projects given by either blended learning or conventional teaching.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 72 s-year dental students, who attended preclinical fixed prosthodontic training. Participants were randomly segregated into conventional teaching (n = 36) and blended learning (n = 36). All participants were evaluated for learning preferences using Visual-Aural-Read/Write-Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire and performed a project as their baseline skill assessment. They performed another two preclinical projects (easy and difficult level) after the allocated teaching approach. Learning preferences were analysed using Fisher's exact test and performance in preclinical projects were analysed with an independent t test (significant at p < .05).

RESULTS

The highest prevalence of learning preferences was the quad-modal preferences (50.7%), which were visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic. There were no significant differences in baseline skills and learning preferences (p > .05) between groups. No significant differences found between both teaching approaches for easy (p = .319) and difficult projects (p = .339). In the blended learning group, no significant difference was found in both difficulty level of projects (p = .064).

CONCLUSION

The participants performed equally on both teaching approaches. However, blended learning for preclinical fixed prosthodontics is anticipated as the new norm of learning, especially in the current pandemic with reduced face-to-face time.

Perceptions and challenges of a first-year dental student - A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Undergraduate dental training is demanding and rigorous, unaware students face a lot of challenges after entering the course. Thus, the study aims to find out from a dental sophomore the challenges they face during the first year of dental school.

METHODOLOGY

An e-questionnaire study was conducted on 932 second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students of India. The questions help us gauge problems and hurdles faced by a dental sophomore like information related to difficulty levels, laborious nature and so on. Chi-square test is to find out relativity and association between the variables.

RESULTS

Pre-clinical prosthodontics was found the most laborious and a gender-wise significant difference (P < 0.01) was noted amongst females (437, 71.06%) and males (157, 49.53%).

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted that students are usually unaware about the course, the type of content reading, learning, laborious nature of practical work and so on.

Agreement between two raters' evaluation for integrated Traditional Prosthodontic Practical Exam with Directly Observed Procedural Skills in Egypt

PURPOSE

It aimed to determine the agreement between two raters evaluating students at prosthodontic clinical practical exam integrated with directly observed procedural skills (DOPS).

METHODS

A sample of 76 students was monitored by two raters to evaluate the process and the final registered maxillomandibular relation for completely edentulous patient in Mansoura Dental School, Egypt at practical exam of the Bachelor students on May 15, till June 28, 2017. Each registered relation was evaluated from total 60 marks subdivided to three score-categories: occlusal plane orientation (OPO), vertical dimension registration (VDR), and centric relation registration (CRR). The marks of each category included mark of DOPS. The marks of OPO and VDR for both raters were compared by graph method to measure reliability using the Bland and Altman analysis. The reliability of CRR marks was evaluated by Krippendorff's alpha ratio.

RESULTS

The results revealed similarity between raters for OPO (mean = 18.1) and closes of limits of agreement (0.73 and -0.78). For VDR, there were closeness of means (mean= 17.4 and 17.1 for examiner 1 and 2 respectively); with limits of agreement (2.7and-2.2). There was a strong correlation (Krippendorff's alpha ratio= 0.92; 95% CI [0.79-0.99]) among raters at evaluating CRR.

CONCLUSION

The two raters' evaluation of clinical traditional practical exam integrated with directly observed procedural skills revealed not to be different to evaluate candidate at the end of the clinical prosthodontic course. The limits of agreement between raters would be optimum at exclusion subjective evaluation parameters and complicated cases from examination procedures.

Pilot study on the effectiveness and students' attitude towards undergraduate training provided by industry

INTRODUCTION

Rapid developments in CAD/CAM technology necessitate the adaptation of curriculum content. Limited resources hinder institutions in holding state of the art equipment available for student training.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A workshop given by an industry partner was organised as part of the final pre-clinical course in prosthodontics for the academic years 2015 and 2016. The workshop on dental ceramics and CAD/CAM technology comprised of lectures and practical demonstrations. Multiple-choice examinations prior to and after the workshop as well as questionnaires were used for assessing effectiveness and students' perception. The test scores and evaluation results were compared using Fisher's exact test of homogeneity (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

The workshop improved students' performance in the written examination. With the exception of 1 question, students having attended the workshop performed significantly better (P < .05). The majority of students felt that the workshop fostered their knowledge in the field of dental ceramics and CAD/CAM. Whilst only a small portion (<10%) disapproved industry-supported education, up to 45% of the participants considered the workshop as sales promotion. The students were undecided on whether or not competitor companies should be invited to present on the same topic and whether or not more industry-supported courses would be beneficial.

DISCUSSION

Industry-supported education appears to be a necessity in the field of CAD/CAM dentistry, but care has to be taken to select adequate partners, and the content of courses has to be controlled.