Faculty calibration and students' self-assessments using an instructional rubric in preparation for a practical examination.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of faculty calibration and students' self-assessments on students' performances in a periodontal practical examination. METHODS: Before a new instructional rubric was implemented in the second-year periodontics course, faculty calibration was conducted with a pilot group of 32 third-year dental students. Afterwards, the new rubric was implemented in the second-year periodontics course. Second-year students used the rubric for their self-assessments before the practical examination. An intraclass correlation coefficient was used to test the reliability of the faculty members. A paired t test was used to compare scores between self-assessments of the pilot group (third-year students) and faculty evaluation. A two-way analysis of variance was performed to compare scores between self-assessments of second-year students and faculty evaluations. Chi-square tests were used to compare overall failure rates amongst four different classes. RESULTS: The reliability amongst the faculty members was strong (the ICC = 0.75 at the first and 0.97 at the second calibration). The mean self-assessment score from the pilot group was significantly higher than the faculty evaluation. However, the mean self-assessment score of second-year students was significantly lower than the faculty evaluation. The class that practiced self-assessments with the validated instructional rubric exhibited the lowest overall failure rate compared to three past classes. CONCLUSIONS: Using an instructional rubric and conducting faculty calibration improved the process of the periodontal practical examination. Improving the examination process and practicing self-assessments with feedback from faculty may have a positive impact on students' performances in the examination.

Mesiobuccal root resection in endodontic-periodontal combined lesions.

AIM: To present two successful cases involving management of endodontic-periodontal combined lesions with root resection and guided tissue regeneration (GTR) therapy. SUMMARY: Mesiobuccal resection surgery was performed concomitant with GTR therapy to manage endodontic-periodontal combined lesions on teeth 17 and 26. The increased mobility after the periodontal surgery gradually decreased during the healing period. At 15 and 20 month follow-ups, respectively, the teeth showed no mobility, 2-3 mm pocket depths and no further bone loss. KEY LEARNING POINTS: Treatment of periodontally involved maxillary teeth creates unique challenges, given the presence of furcations, root proximities and the maxillary sinus. Root resection combined with GTR therapy can enable tooth maintenance with a good long-term prognosis.

A multi-center study on recurrent inguinal hernias: assessment of surgeons' compliance to guideline-based repair and evaluation of short-term outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: As patients with recurrent inguinal hernia (RIH) are at a higher risk of perioperative complications, international guidelines have been developed to mitigate these risks by recommending the reverse approach for repair. We aim to study the characteristics of RIH, compliance to guidelines-based repair (GR) and determine factors influencing compliance to guidelines. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients with RIH was carried out at two tertiary institutions in Singapore, over 10 years from January 2010 to 2020. RESULTS: There were 16 patients with bilateral recurrences and 214 patients with unilateral recurrences. The characteristics of patients with non-guidelines-based repair (NGR) versus GR were similar, p > 0.05. GR was performed for 128 (52.1%) hernias as compared to NGR for 118 (47.9%) hernias. The open approach was more common in NGR than GR, 115/118 (89.8%) versus 58/128 (45.3%), p < 0.001. Forty (n = 40, 16.3%) RIH presented emergently, of which 37 underwent NGR while 3 underwent GR, p < 0.0001. More consultants were present during GR 103/128 (80.5%) as compared to NGR 78/118 (66.1%), p = 0.018. Emergency presentation of hernia recurrence, OR 7.74 (CI 6.11-9.20), p = 0.005, and open repair during the index repair were significantly associated with NGR, OR 6.63 (CI 4.42-8.84), p = 0.01. Median length of stay was shorter in the GR 1 day (IQR 1-2 days) versus 2 days (IQR 2-5 days) in the NGR group, p = 0.02. CONCLUSION: The compliance rate of GR for RIH is 52%. NGR for RIH had acceptable short-term outcomes. For elective presentation of RIH, GR should be encouraged given a shorter length of hospital stay.