Magnification effect on fine motor skills of dental students

OBJECTIVES

This study observed the effect of different magnification systems on dental students' real and perceived fine motor skills.

METHODS

This was a laboratory-based experimental study. Students in the fifth year of an undergraduate dentistry program (N = 92) participated in this study. The dependent variables were real motor skills, perceived motor skills and time required to complete the fine motor skills test. The independent variable was the use of a magnification system under four conditions. For each condition, the Dental Manual Dexterity Assessment was performed, which consisted of inserting the #3195FF bur into targets positioned on a Styrofoam plate. The accuracy of each penetration of the targets was scored, using a point system with a maximum possible score of 246 points. Students' perceived fine motor skills were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) that ranged from zero for no skills to ten for maximum skills. A descriptive statistical analysis and the repeated measures ANOVA were performed (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

The Galilean and Keplerian loupes were found to positively affect students' real fine motor skills (p<0.01); however, perceived fine motor skills and time were significantly better (p<0.01) under the naked eye.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental students' real fine motor skills were better when Galilean and Keplerian loupes were used, but the perceived fine motor skills were not.

Polarimetric visualization of healthy brain fiber tracts under adverse conditions: ex vivo studies

We suggest using the wide-field imaging Mueller polarimetry to contrast optically anisotropic fiber tracts of healthy brain white matter for the detection of brain tumor borders during neurosurgery. Our prior studies demonstrate that this polarimetric imaging modality detects correctly the in-plane orientation of brain white matter fiber tracts of a flat formalin-fixed thick brain specimen in reflection geometry [IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging39, 4376 (2020)10.1109/TMI.2020.3018439]. Here we present the results of ex vivo polarimetric studies of large cross-sections of fresh calf brain in reflection geometry with a special focus on the impact of the adverse measurement conditions (e.g. complex surface topography, presence of blood, etc.) on the quality of polarimetric images and the detection performance of white matter fiber tracts and their in-plane orientation.

Microscope and micro-camera assessment of Schneiderian membrane perforation via transcrestal sinus floor elevation: A randomized ex vivo study

OBJECTIVE

We sought to assess the effectiveness of using a microscope and non-invasive camera for assessing sinus membrane perforations during transcrestal sinus floor elevation (TSFE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Five fresh human cadaver heads corresponding to eight maxillary sinuses (six bilateral and two unilateral) underwent 4 TSFEs per sinus (a total of 32 single site elevations). Each elevation was randomly assigned to receive a three or six mm membrane elevation height (MEH). A microscope and micro-camera were used to assess the sinus membrane perforation. Afterwards, radiological and clinical membrane perforation assessments were performed. The statistical analysis results are expressed using the means, standard deviations, range values of the residual ridge height (RRH), residual ridge width (RRW), sinus membrane thickness (SMT) and incidence of perforation (IoP). Generalized linear methods were used to test for the correlation of RRH and MEH to the microscope and micro-camera perforation assessments and the correlation of microscope and micro-camera assessments with the post-operative CBCT and crestal liquid evaluation.

RESULTS

The cumulative percentage of IoP was 40.62%, (23.07% with 3 mm MEH, and 76.92% with 6 mm MEH, p < 0.05). The perforation assessed using either the microscope or micro-camera coincided with the post-operative CBCT and crestal liquid assessment in 87.55% sites. No significant correlation was found between the microscope or micro-camera assessments with RRH or MEH.

CONCLUSION

Application of a microscope and micro-camera during transcrestal sinus floor elevation may allow the detection of the integrity of the Schneiderian membrane with greater than 85% accuracy in this ex vivo model.