Online continuing dental education

Treatment approaches and antibiotic use for emergency dental treatment in Turkey

The purpose of this study was to gather information about Turkish general dental practitioners’ treatment approaches towards endodontic emergencies, antibiotic-prescribing habits, and their participation in lifelong learning programs. Questionnaires were given to dentists who attended the 16th National Congress organized by the Turkish Dental Association. From 1,400 questionnaires distributed, 589 (43%) were deemed usable in this study. This survey dealt with questions that were subdivided into two main topics: dental emergency treatment approaches, and antibiotic prescription and information on lifelong learning program participation. The statistical analysis was conducted with a χ² test at a significance level of P<0.05. For irreversible pulpitis cases in vital teeth, most of the dental practitioners (65.3%) preferred single-visit root canal treatments. For teeth presenting a periapical lesion, the preferred treatment approach was root canal treatment (91.5%). The rate of prescription of analgesics and antibiotics was 21.7% in untreated acute apical periodontitis cases and 41% in acute apical abscess cases. Frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin–clavulanate (61.8%) and amoxicillin (46.5%). There was a tendency for practitioners to attend congresses as their years of professional practice increased (P<0.0001). There have been discrepancies between taught and observed practice. Educational initiatives are needed to prevent inappropriate prescription of antibiotics.

A review of continuing professional development for dentists in Europe(*)

AIM

  To summarise findings from a literature review of dentists' engagement in continuing professional development (CPD) and its effects on improving oral health care for patients.

METHOD

  The search strategy used key terms in a range of databases and an academic literature search engine, complemented by hand searching and citation follow-up.

RESULTS

  One hundred and fourteen papers were reviewed. The majority of dentists engaged in CPD. Factors affecting participation included time since graduation, costs, work and home commitments, postgraduate qualification, interest and convenience. Learning needs identification and reflection on practice were rarely evidenced. Common modes of CPD were courses and journal reading; no one delivery method proved more effective. Few papers directly explored recommendations for topics although suggestions related to common areas of error and gaps in knowledge or skill. Studies of CPD effectiveness and impact-on-practice suggested that courses can result in widespread new learning and considerable self-reported change in practice. However, significant barriers to implementing change in workplace practice were noted and included availability of materials, resources and support from colleagues.

CONCLUSION

  To ensure high standards of care, alongside recommending core or mandatory topics, more attention should be given to reflection on learning needs, the learner's readiness to engage with education and training and the influence of the workplace environment.

A review of continuing professional development for dentists in Europe

AIM

To summarise findings from a literature review of dentists' engagement in continuing professional development (CPD) and its effects on improving oral health care for patients.

METHOD

The search strategy used key terms in a range of databases and an academic literature search engine, complemented by hand searching and citation follow-up.

RESULTS

One hundred and fourteen papers were reviewed. The majority of dentists engaged in CPD. Factors affecting participation included time since graduation, costs, work and home commitments, postgraduate qualification, interest and convenience. Learning needs identification and reflection on practice were rarely evidenced. Common modes of CPD were courses and journal reading; no one delivery method proved more effective. Few papers directly explored recommendations for topics although suggestions related to common areas of error and gaps in knowledge or skill. Studies of CPD effectiveness and impact-on-practice suggested that courses can result in widespread new learning and considerable self-reported change in practice. However, significant barriers to implementing change in workplace practice were noted and included availability of materials, resources and support from colleagues.

CONCLUSION

To ensure high standards of care, alongside recommending core or mandatory topics, more attention should be given to reflection on learning needs, the learner's readiness to engage with education and training and the influence of the workplace environment.

Innovative educational methods and technologies applicable to continuing professional development in periodontology

Continuous professional development (CPD) in Periodontology refers to the overall framework of opportunities that facilitate a life-long learning practice, driven by the learner-practitioner and supported by a variety of institutions and individuals. CPD must address different needs for a great diversity of practitioners. It is clear that no particular methodology or technology is able to successfully accommodate the entire spectrum of CPD in Periodontology. Course designers must choose from and combine a wide array of methodologies and technologies, depending upon the needs of the learners and the objectives of the intended education. Research suggests that 'interactivity', 'flexibility', 'continuity' and 'relevance to learners' practice' are major characteristics of successful CPD. Various methods of mentoring, peer-learning environments and work-based learning have been combined with reflective practice and self-study to form the methodological backbone of CPD courses. Blended learning encompasses a wide array of technologies and methodologies and has been successfully used in CPD courses. Internet-based content learning management systems, portable Internet devices, powerful databases and search engines, together with initiatives such as 'open access' and 'open courseware' provide an array of effective instructional and communication tools. Assessment remains a key issue in CPD, providing learners with valuable feedback and it ensures the credibility and effectiveness of the learning process. Assessment is a multi-level process using different methods for different learning outcomes, as directed by current evidence and best practices. Finally, quality assurance of the education provided must follow CPD courses at all times through a structured and credible process.

Randomized controlled trial comparing lecture versus self studying by an online tool

OBJECTIVES

Since 2001, an e-learning tool has been developed for dentistry. To compare online self study with traditional lectures, a module about instrumental occlusal analysis was offered by oral lecture and by a unit in the virtual library of the e-learning tool.

METHODS

85 pre-clinical dental students were randomly divided into two groups: the computer assisted learning (CAL) group (n = 48) and the lecture group (n = 37). A pre-test was made to assess the students' basic knowledge. The first post-test and the scoring of the teaching methods were performed immediately after the lecture or the self studying by the online tool and a second post-test six weeks later.

RESULTS

The oral lecture got better educational and enjoyment values. The students prefer CAL in addition to traditional lectures. The results of the pre-tests were not different between the two groups (p = 0.706). The lecture group significantly improved their scores in the first post-test (p = 0.011), but the scores of the second post-test did not differ significantly (p = 0.157).

CONCLUSIONS

In the short term, knowledge acquisition seems to be better in oral lectures but in the long term there is no difference in knowledge retention between the two learning scenarios.

Adaptive hypermedia: a new paradigm for educational software

Traditional online dental education courses follow the broadcast paradigm which centers on the teacher, not the student. This one-size-fits-all approach resembles a mass-production idea which cannot take individual learner characteristics into account. Most online course designs do not address the issue that users with different goals and knowledge may be interested in different pieces of information about a topic. Adaptive hypermedia (AH) is an emerging field in education research which investigates how computer systems can overcome this problem. AH can be applied to any course content. This learner-centered approach first considers the learning goal(s), then evaluates the user's abilities and determines the individual learning style, to structure and tailor the curriculum most efficiently. The presented AH environment exploits various concepts of AH. The system collects data to create a model of the individual user, which is continuously refined based on test results throughout the course. The system then adapts the learning material dynamically, using active and passive curriculum sequencing and adaptive presentation.

The attitudes of undergraduate students and staff to the use of electronic learning

BACKGROUND

Computer-aided learning (CAL) offers advantages over traditional methods of learning as it allows students to work in their own time and pace. The School of Dentistry at the University of Birmingham has created an electronic learning website, named the Ecourse. This is designed to be a web-based supplement to the dental undergraduate curriculum.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of third year dental students and members of staff about the Ecourse website.

METHOD

A questionnaire was produced and piloted before being distributed to all 65 third year dental students to obtain their opinions about the Ecourse website. The views of Ecourse were sought from four members of staff by performing qualitative, semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Lecture handouts and textbooks were reported as the sources used most often, by 96% of students. Eighty-six per cent of students are accessing the Ecourse mainly at the School of Dentistry, but 53% are also accessing it at home. Students liked the multiple-choice questions, downloading extra notes and looking at pictures and animation to explain clinical procedures. The majority of the students (79%) want the Ecourse to be used as a supplement to the undergraduate programme and 7% wanted it to replace formal lectures. Staff recognised the benefits of the Ecourse but were concerned about plagiarism, the effect on lecture attendance and the lack of feedback from students on existing CAL material.

CONCLUSION

Students consider the Ecourse as a positive method of supplementing traditional methods of learning in the dental undergraduate programme. However in contrast teaching staff expressed negative views on the use of e-learning.

A method for displaying two images on a screen in distance medical education

This article describes a method for simultaneously displaying several images on a screen during an online multimedia presentation. Users with 'REALPLAYER' software and Web browsers can view images with synchronous audio on their personal computers via the Internet. Medical researchers and physicians often find it useful to compare images after treatment with those before treatment, by displaying several arranged images simultaneously. Medical care providers can browse this type of multimedia content in their offices and universities at their convenience. There presently exist two methods for creating multimedia content with voice and images using RealSystem technology. Electronic lectures of otorhinolaryngology explaining new surgical procedures for patients with chronic otitis media were created with this method and made available to otorhinolaryngologists through the Internet.

Evaluation of World Wide Web-based Lessons for a First Year Dental Biochemistry Course

First year dental students at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston (Dental Branch) are required to take a basic biochemistry course. To facilitate learning and allow student self-assessment of their progress, WWW-based lessons covering intermediary metabolism were developed as a supplement to traditional lectures. Lesson design combined text, graphics, and animations and included learner control, links to other learning resources, and practice exercises and exams with immediate feedback. Results from an on-line questionnaire completed by students in two different classes showed that they completed 50% of the lessons and spent an average of 4 hrs. online. A majority of the students either agreed or strongly agreed that practice exercises were helpful, that the ability to control the pace of the lessons was important, that the lesson structure and presentation was easy to follow, that the illustrations, animations, and hyperlinks were helpful, and that the lessons were effective as a review. The very positive response to the WWW-based lessons indicates the usefulness of this approach as a study aid for dental students.

Is the current access to health information helping or hindering effective decision-making for dentists and patients? Guidelines for dental practice

With the introduction of the Internet there has been a growth both in the quantity and accessibility of information to the public concerning health issues. This improved availability of information does not always lead to a more informed public since there is no quality control of information but it can lead to a public that takes a more active role in their own health and thus is involved in shared decision-making. In order to develop a more informed public in the future, systems for quality control of information have been addressed. These systems can range from the present state of uncontrolled information (no quality control) to full-centralised control (censored information). Between these extremes lie two, more appropriate, decentralised filtering approaches--'upstream filtering' (where third parties set quality criteria and evaluate information) and 'downstream filtering' (where data are rated, labelled and weighted according to consumers' criteria). These systems of filtering are discussed along with recommendations for those using the Internet as a source of information. The paper also documents reliable sources of information for the public, highlights the current concepts of shared decision-making, and provides some guidelines for developing an effective decision-making strategy.