Huế dental students' use and perception of an online dental learning platform: A pilot study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

Online educational materials are growing in use, and dental students worldwide can benefit from higher quality and more accessible online supplemental resources. This study was created to evaluate the learning resources non-English speaking dental students desire and to pilot My Dental Key (MDK), an English, evidence-based, online dental educational platform.

METHODS

Third to sixth year dental students at the Huế University of Medicine and Pharmacy were asked to pilot MDK over a 5-week period and were invited to answer three surveys throughout the study. A preliminary survey was given to gauge the participants' (n = 209) preferences regarding the use of English-based dental educational resources. Participants (n = 58) completed a presurvey prior to accessing MDK. After the 5-week period, participants (n = 38) were given a postsurvey to evaluate the platform's effectiveness as a supplemental educational resource.

RESULTS

Overall, we found that: (1) students desire credible online supplemental resources in addition to current resources provided by their school, (2) the multimodal content that MDK provides is a strength that bridges language barriers (3) participants perceived that the content on MDK would help them in class and when treating patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving the quality of online supplemental dental resources will have the capability to progress the current educational landscape, and further resources should be created to best serve the global dental community.

How US dental schools can better prepare their students to perform operative procedures

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to characterize the curricular and supplemental resources used by dental students during their operative dentistry course, survey students' perception of each resource's "helpfulness," and assess students' perceptions of preparedness to perform operative dental procedures in clinical settings.

METHODS

American Student Dental Association delegates at all accredited dental education programs in the United States were asked to forward an email to students enrolled at their respective institutions explaining the purpose of the study and asking them to fill out our survey. The response rate was calculated using the targeted enrollment data found in American Dental Education Association Official Guide to Dental Schools.

RESULTS

A total of 715 qualified respondents completed our questionnaire for a response rate of 13.5%. 90% of students felt at least "moderately prepared" to perform operative procedures in the clinical environment. The 3 most common curricular resources provided to students were lecture slides (n = 707, 99%), live lectures (n = 664, 93%), and live faculty demonstrations (n = 547, 77%). YouTube was the most common supplemental resource utilized by students (n = 575, 80%). When asked to select which resources were the most helpful for their learning, 49% (270/547) selected live faculty demonstrations, 27% (153/575) selected YouTube videos, and 23% (155/664) selected lectures/lecture slides.

CONCLUSION

To best meet the expectations of the current generation of dental students and to prevent early-stage dental learners from being influenced by clinical misinformation online, dental schools should consider adapting and producing more online, video-based learning resources for their curricula.

Sequential anti-idiotypes define reciprocal idiotopes on the same anti-DNA antibody

Sequential anti-idiotypes have defined a pair of idiotypes with an idiotype-anti-idiotype relationship to each other in the variable region of the monoclonal anti-DNA antibody 16/6. A rabbit immunized with 16/6 made an antibody-1 (anti-Id-16/6R) and an antibody-2 (anti-anti-Id-16/6 or anti-anti-Id 16/6M). The latter bound to M-2, a monoclonal mouse anti-Id-16/6. M-2 was used to immunize a second mouse, which produced M-16. The variable region of M-16 mimics an antigenic surface on Id-16/6 and binds to a peptide contained within the first hypervariable region of the light chain of 16/6. The complementary idiotypes of 16/6 represent a reciprotope, an idiotype/anti-idiotype pair within the variable region of the same immunoglobulin molecule which may have functional importance.

A single germline VH gene segment of normal A/J mice encodes autoantibodies characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus

These experiments tested the hypothesis that unmutated germline genes from normal mice can encode autoantibodies. We found that the unmutated VHIdCR gene segment, which encodes a large proportion of antiarsonate antibodies in A/J mice, also encodes antibodies with the ability to bind to DNA and cytoskeletal proteins. After Ars immunization, at a time when the VHIdCR gene segment mutates and antibody affinity for the hapten increases, reactivity with the autoantigens was lost. Six antibodies obtained after immunization with Ars bound both the Ars and DNA. Results of competitive inhibition assays suggested that the same variable region site in the antibodies bound to both Ars and DNA. The properties of the individual germline-encoded antibodies, which include reactivity to both DNA and cytoskeletal proteins, suggest that autoantibodies characteristic of SLE might be a subset of antibodies encoded by unmutated germline V genes.

MOLECULAR AREAS OF SOAPS AT THE SURFACE OF LATEX PARTICLES

The molecular area (i.e., the area occupied by a molecule of soap adsorbed on a surface) has been determined for a number of anionic, cationic, and non-ionic emulsifiers, adsorbed on latex particles. Measurements were made by surface tension and electron microscopic techniques. The composition of the polymer did not affect the molecular area of either anionic or cationic soaps. When a mixture of non-ionic and anionic soaps was used, interaction between the soaps prevented application of the conventional methods for measuring molecular area. The interaction is manifested by a decrease in the area occupied by an anionic soap molecule which can be explained in terms of reduction in electrostatic repulsive forces between ionic soap molecules. The configuration of the polyethylene oxide chain of the non-ionic on the surface of the latex particle is deduced to be that of caterpillarlike folds.

Glass Transitions in Polymer-Plasticizer Systems

A summary of the investigation with the three types of diluent can he made with reference to Table VI. Hydrocarbon oils are more effective low-temperature plasticizers the lower their temperature coefficient of viscosity. Dibutyl sebacate is representative of crystallizing diluents. Such compounds are ineffective low temperature plasticizers unless, (a) at equilibrium, favorable thermodynamic parameters permit their existence as liquids in the polymer, or (b) the plasticizers tend to exist as the nonequilibrium, supercooled, liquids in the transition temperature region of the polymer. Particularly desirable are liquids with low apparent activation energies of viscosity and high miscibility with polymer. The four ester plasticizers, tributoxyethyl phosphate, dibutyl phthalate, dioetyl adipate, and dioctyl sebacate, have temperature coefficients of viscosity corresponding to a virtually common activation energy of 4.5 kilocalories. Here, the magnitude of diluent-polymer interaction, as indicated by volume increase measurements, dictates the order of effectiveness of the ester.

THE REACTION OF ACTIVE NITROGEN WITH PROPANE

The reaction of nitrogen atoms with propane has been found to produce hydrogen cyanide as the main product, together with smaller amounts of acetylene, ethylene, and ethane, which were recovered at all propane flow rates. Complete consumption of nitrogen atoms was not attained at any propane flow rate used at 63 °C, but was attained at 250 °C for ratios of propane to nitrogen atoms greater than 1.3. An activation energy of 5.6 ± 0.6 kcal. and a steric factor between 10−2 and 10−3 was estimated from second order rate constants.

THE USE OF INFRARED SPECTROPHOTOMETRY FOR THE ESTIMATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF SOME HALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS

The infrared spectra of chloral, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform have been determined between 1500 and 650 cm.−1 over a range of pressures in the gas phase. Absorption bands suitable for the quantitative analysis of binary and ternary mixtures of the components have been selected and their peak intensities shown to obey Beer's Law over the range of pressures studied. Ternary mixtures have been analyzed from the spectra with an accuracy of about 20%.The spectra of dichloromethane and methyl chloride have also been measured under comparable conditions.