Assessing likelihood of using the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency to predict preclinical performance of dental students

Evaluation of manual dexterity when using a mirror of dental students and academicians with increasing professional experience

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the manual dexterity of dentistry students and academicians when using a mirror according to increasing professional experience.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 72 subjects, grouped according to professional experience 5th year dentistry students (DS) accepted as no experience-academicians with 1-4 years experience (A5L)-academicians with ≥5 years experience (A5M). Direct and indirect visualisation using the mirror was evaluated with the completion times of the O'Connor Finger Dexterity Test.

RESULTS

The hand grip strength values of both left and right hand were found to be statistically significantly higher in all the males than in the females (p < .05). The indirect test times (ITT) using the mirror were significantly longer for males than for females (p = .001), and no significant difference was determined between the genders in the direct test times (DTT) (p > .05). For all the study participants, DTT shortened as professional experience increased (p < .05). In addition, the mean values of both DTT (p = .031) and ITT (p = .028) in the DS group were statistically significantly longer than the A5M group.

CONCLUSION

With increasing professional experience, manual dexterity was determined to increase, and females were found to be more successful in the direct manual dexterity tests independently of the groups. The statistical significance between the DS and A5M groups, especially in the hand dexterity test with a mirror, shows the importance of experience. The study results demonstrated that professional manual dexterity in dentistry can be developed with increasing practical application.

The impact of reflex-based recreational activities and preclinical training on psychomotor skills in an educational dental environment

BACKGROUND

Participating in recreational activities from a young age may have the potential enhance psychomotor skills early on, and conversely, low levels of participation in these activities may predict slower development of preclinical hand skills.

PURPOSE

This study aims to evaluate the eye-hand coordination benefits of leisure and reflex-based activities to those of typical instructional techniques among dental students.

DATA SOURCES

The databases used were PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus.

STUDY SELECTION

Ten articles were selected from a total of 1135 articles found across three databases.

DATA EXTRACTION

The articles were screened by four investigators through a series of steps in accordance to inclusion and exclusion criteria and rid of any duplicates.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The majority of the 10 featured articles were conducted in the United States. All of the research included was cohort observational studies. This systematic review includes a total of 1975 participants from the publications selected for this purpose.

RESULTS

Manual dexterity may be taught and improved by practice, and tests designed to measure it should be used primarily to pinpoint which students would benefit most from individualized, close supervision during their education.

CONCLUSION

Researchers found that reflex-based activities helped students develop better hand-eye coordination in a classroom setting. However, more precise dental-related tests and questionnaires can always be developed through further study; doing so would yield a wealth of information that would be immensely useful to the dental sector.

Reliability and validity of Turkish version of pediatric balance scale

Assessment tool is a key point to evaluate balance disturbances in children. The aim of this study was to analyze reliability and validity of Turkish version of pediatric balance scale. The present study included 34 children (13 girls; 21 boys) with balance impairments. The scale consists of 14 items. Eight observers assessed the video records of the participants for interrater agreement. One observer evaluated the records twice in 2 weeks for intrarater agreement. Intraclass correlation coefficient was used for the interobserver and intraobserver agreement. The Functional Reach Test was used to calculate concurrent validity. Mean age of the sample was 11.68 ± 3.53 years. The Turkish version of the scale was found to be reliable, perfectly (intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver agreement = 0.915). Intraobserver agreement was also reliable, perfectly (ICC = 0.927). The strong correlation between pediatric balance scale and functional reach test was found (r = 0.692; p < 0.001). The Turkish version of the scale is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate children with balance impairments. Moreover, it is easy to use for health providers working with disabled children.