[Introduction of "professional field exploration" for Saarland University dentistry students]. / Einführung des Fachs "Berufsfelderkundung" für Studierende der Zahnmedizin an der Universität des Saarlandes.

The new dental licensing regulations (ZApprO) have been in effect since the 2021/2022 winter semester and stipulate that a "professional field exploration course" be offered in the dentistry degree program. At Saarland University, the course consists of five parts: (I) introduction, (II) practicum, (III) reflection report, (IV) symposium, and (V) evaluation. The practicum is designed to provide students with earlier exposure to clinical reality, give them more confidence in dealing with patients, motivate them, and teach them about the professional role in the healthcare profession. In addition, the reflection report and symposium will initiate the development of scientific competencies. The evaluation, together with the evaluation of the reflection reports, serves to verify the success of the introduction of the course. The purpose of this paper is to describe the new course and to present the results of the result of the evaluation of the two courses in 2021 and 2022.

Inter-rater reliability of the extended Composite Quality Score (CQS-2).

Aim: To establish the inter-rater reliability of the Composite Quality Score (CQS-2) and to test the null hypothesis that it did not differ significantly from that of the first CQS version (CQS-1). Materials and methods: Four independent raters were selected to rate 45 clinical trial reports using CQS-1 and CQS-2. The raters remained unaware of each other's participation in this study until all rating had been completed. Each rater received only one rating template at a time in a random sequence for CQS-1 and CQS-2 rating. Raters completed each template and sent these back to the principal investigator. Each rater received their next template 2 weeks after submission of the completed previous template. The inter-rater reliabilities for the overall appraisal score of the CQS-1 and the CQS-2 were established by using the Brennan-Prediger coefficient (BPC). The coefficients of both CQS versions were compared by using the two-sample z-test. During secondary analysis, the BPCs for every criterion and each corroboration level for both CQS versions were established. Results: The BPC for the CQS-1 was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.64-1.00) and for the CQS-2 it was 1.00 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00), suggesting a very high inter-rater reliability for both. The difference between the two CQS versions was statistically not significant (p = 0.17). The null hypothesis was accepted. Conclusion: The CQS-2 is still under development, This study shows that it is associated with a very high inter-rater reliability, which did not statistically significantly differ from that of the CQS-1. The promising results of this study warrant further investigation in the applicability of the CQS-2 as an appraisal tool for prospective controlled clinical therapy trials.