Evaluation of the Online Learning Experience of Dalhousie Dentistry and Dental Hygiene Students during COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and universities transitioned to online learning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the experience of students with the online education program offered during the initial phase of the pandemic. METHODS: In April 2020, an anonymous online survey was distributed to 248 undergraduate dental and dental hygiene students in Dalhousie University's faculty of dentistry. The survey contained 10 Likert-type and 3 open-ended questions asking students to evaluate their online learning experience and their preferences regarding in-person and online learning. RESULTS: The response rate was 62.5%. Two-thirds (65.8%) of respondents reported that their educational experience in a virtual setting was very or somewhat positive, while only 14.8% said it was negative or somewhat negative. However, 60.6% agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred face-to-face learning over virtual classroom learning. Students were evenly split on whether online teaching should replace classroom teaching where possible (38.1% agreed/strongly agreed, 39.3% disagreed/strongly disagreed). Analysis of the responses to open-ended questions gave rise to 6 themes: online teaching and assessment methods; helpful online instructor behaviours/traits; advantages of online learning; disadvantages of online learning; combining online and in-person learning; online learning during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Although the sudden transition to online learning was generally well received by students, there still appears to be support for maintaining some form of traditional, face-to-face learning methods in dental education. Students felt that ensuring faculty were creative, understanding and flexible was paramount in the transition to teaching in an online format.

Reversing the Effects of 0.5% Bupivacaine Using Phentolamine Mesylate: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Phentolamine mesylate is the only commercially available dental local anesthetic reversal agent. It has been proven safe and effective for reversing most local anesthetics used in dentistry but was never tested with bupivacaine. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of 0.4-mg phentolamine mesylate in reversing an inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) with 0.5% bupivacaine, 1:200,000 epinephrine. Sixty-six participants were recruited and were administered an IANB with bupivacaine. After confirmation of anesthesia, they were randomized into 1 of 2 groups (phentolamine mesylate or control). Participants in the phentolamine mesylate group received a second injection with 1.7-mL OraVerse (0.4-mg phentolamine mesylate), while participants in the control group received a second injection with 1.7-mL sterile saline water. Participants were trained to self-assess sensation (lower lip and tongue) and function (drinking, speaking, and smiling), which they did every 20 minutes, and they recorded the time when sensation/function returned to normal. Comparative analysis was completed using independent sample t-tests, univariate linear regressions, and Pearson chi-square. Forty-three participants were randomized, and 34 completed the study (phentolamine mesylate, n = 15; control, n = 19). There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 treatment groups for return of normal sensation to the lower lip (mean difference of 2 hours and 17 minutes; P = .027) and the tongue (mean difference of 1 hour and 35 minutes; P = .046) in favor of the phentolamine mesylate group. The results indicate that phentolamine mesylate hastens the return to normal sensation of an IANB with bupivacaine.