Dental students' perceived preparedness to treat patients in clinic after a fixed prosthodontics course: survey results of a case study

Previous research regarding dental students has found modest predictive value in preclinical didactic course grades in predicting clinical performance, but systematic assessment of students' feedback on their perceived preparedness has received little attention as a preclinical assessment methodology. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of the dental students at one U.S. academic dental institution regarding their preparedness for clinical performance following the preclinical fixed prosthodontics course. Third- and fourth-year dental students participated in a survey about their perceived preparedness to diagnose and treat patients with fixed prosthodontics needs in the school's dental clinics. The respondents (79 out of 161 students, for a response rate of 49%) rated each item on a five-point Likert scale. Responses about which preclinical procedures of the course prepared students the least and the best were consistent for the third- and fourth-year students. Less than 60% of all responding students felt prepared for planning complex cases and performing laboratory-related procedures. The findings of this study indicate that improvement is required in teaching students about laboratory procedures and problem-solving to adequately prepare them for clinical treatment of patients with fixed prosthodontics needs.

Utilization of blended learning to teach preclinical endodontics

Blended learning (BL) is the integration of classroom learning with an online environment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dental students who experienced BL in a preclinical endodontic course demonstrated better manual skills, conceptual knowledge, and learning experience compared to those experiencing traditional learning. All eighty-one students (100 percent) in a preclinical endodontics course agreed to participate and were assigned to either the traditional or BL group. A root canal procedure was used to determine the level of manual skills gained by each group. Pre- and post-intervention quizzes were given to all students to evaluate conceptual knowledge gained, and the students' perspectives on the methods were evaluated with a survey. The BL group scored better than the traditional group on the manual skills exercise at a statistically significant level (p=0.0067). There were no differences in the post-intervention quiz scores between the two groups, and the students' opinions were positive regarding BL. With BL, the students were able to learn and demonstrate dental skills at a high level.