Integrating student feedback during "Dental Curriculum Hack-A-thon".

BACKGROUND: The future of dental education is at crossroads. This study used the parameter of the 2016 Dental Curriculum Hack-a-Thon to assess intra- and inter-institutional agreement between student and faculty views regarding dental curriculums to determine if there is an impact in student perceptions towards dental education from before and after the event. METHODS: This exploratory, cross-sectional study involved two surveys, with Survey 1 being distributed among four faculty-student pairs of the four participating dental schools answering 14 questions. Survey 2 assessed the views of 20 participating dental students through 26 questions in a pre- and post- event survey design. Descriptive statistics were used to explore differences in perceptions towards dental education across both instrument surveys. RESULTS: The results revealed valuable student insights regarding intra- and inter-institutional agreement relevant for the change in dental curriculum that needs to occur. Survey 2 revealed that mandatory attendance in didactic courses, electronic based examination preferences, and the preference of preclinical courses being held in the first and second years of a four-year dental curriculum were of particular importance to student participants. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that exposure and participation in subjects pertaining to dental education can be influential on student preferences and opinions on how dental education should be delivered in a four-year curriculum.

Pit-and-fissure sealants on primary molars are a cost savings.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the authors examine the cost-effectiveness of light-polymerized resin-based fluoride sealants on primary molars in high caries risk children younger than 6 years. METHODS: The authors examined the cost-effectiveness of pit-and-fissure sealant (PFS) treatment on primary molars by comparing sealed and unsealed molars treated in the outpatient clinic or operating room. Using 1,884 primary molars followed over a 5-year period, the authors used a mixed-effects regression model to estimate the probability of caries development. They used restricted means to estimate years free of caries for carious molars. They used a decision tree to address uncertainty due to PFS treatment failure, predict the expected value associated with each strategy, and estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio using a 3% discount rate to adjust future cost and outcomes to present value. RESULTS: Over 5 years, the cost of care was $90 for unsealed molars and $75 for sealed molars. Unsealed molars remained caries free for 4.32 years compared with 4.85 years in sealed molars. The cost-effectiveness of PFS treatment was dominant, leading to a savings of $25 for each caries-free year gained and overall savings of $742 million for the United States dental health system over a 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS: PFS treatment is associated with cost savings and a delay in caries development and should be considered in children with high caries risk. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Policy makers should consider reimbursement of PFS treatment on primary molars in high caries risk children.