Assessment of Phubbing, Smart Phone Addiction and Related Psychological Variables among Dental Undergraduates: A Multicentric Study.

BACKGROUND: Internet Addiction and phubbing are prevalent disruptive behaviours among students. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between phubbing, smartphone addiction and some of the related psychological effects among dental undergraduates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-centric cross-sectional pre-validated questionnaire-based study was conducted among undergraduate students of five different dental colleges across India. The questionnaire included the Phubbing Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Smartphone Application-based Addiction Scale (SABAS), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The data were analysed with IBM SPSS version 21, followed by a t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Spearmen's co-relation to find the association between different psychological variables among study subjects. RESULTS: The total sample comprise of 1226 with mean age of 22.35. The SABAS showed a higher mean ± standard deviation (SD) score (3.17 ± 0.93). The Phubbing Scale showed a positive correlation with the SABAS (0.658), the results were found to be highly statistically significant (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The present study found a higher prevalence of phubbing and smartphone addiction among dental students. Our results showed that impulsiveness leads to internet addiction and thus phubbing is becoming a way to find solace during communication to escape anxiety and distress.

Clinical observation using virtual reality for dental education on surgical tooth extraction: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical observation conducted during the 3rd and 4th years of dental school is an important part of dental students' clinical education. However, conventional clinical observation is associated with several problems, including the lack of opportunity for all students to assist during surgery. Virtual reality (VR) technologies and devices can be used to demonstrate clinical processes that dental students need to learn through clinical observation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching dental students the surgical tooth extraction procedure through clinical observation using VR. METHODS: We recruited third- and fourth-year dental students and divided them into a VR clinical observation group (VR group) and a conventional clinical observation group (control group). The control group visited an outpatient clinic and observed an oral and maxillofacial specialist perform surgical tooth extraction, whereas the VR group watched a 360° video of surgical tooth extraction using a head-mounted display. After observation, both groups were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with the clinical observation and their understanding of the procedure. RESULTS: Understanding of the procedure and satisfaction with the observation were significantly higher in the VR group than in the control group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.047, respectively). Compared with conventional clinical observation, VR clinical observation improved learning motivation and medical thinking and judgment skills; however, interaction between professors and students was lacking. CONCLUSIONS: VR clinical observation using 360° videos might be an effective teaching method for students. However, to allow interaction between professors and students during clinical observations, using it along with conventional clinical observation is necessary.

Perceptions and challenges of online teaching and learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in India: a cross-sectional study with dental students and teachers.

BACKGROUND: Online education has emerged as a crucial tool for imparting knowledge and skills to students in the twenty-first century, especially in developing nations like India, which previously relied heavily on traditional teaching methods. METHODS: This study delved into the perceptions and challenges experienced by students and teachers in the context of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a sample of 491 dental students and 132 teachers utilizing a cross-sectional research design and an online-validated survey questionnaire. RESULTS: The study's findings revealed significant insights. Internet accessibility emerged as a major impediment for students, with online instruction proving more effective for theoretical subjects compared to practical ones. Although most teachers expressed comfort with online teaching, they highlighted the absence of classroom interaction as a significant challenge. CONCLUSION: This study comprehensively examines the perspectives of both students and teachers regarding online education during the pandemic. The results carry substantial implications for the academic community, underscoring the need to address internet access issues and explore ways to enhance engagement and interaction in online learning environments.

Undergraduate perspectives of the awareness, diagnosis and management of patients with eating disorders.

Introduction Patients with eating disorders (EDs) may present with potentially life-threatening complications due to missed and late diagnoses. Dentists can play a fundamental role in the early identification and signposting of patients with suspected EDs.Aims To investigate the awareness of final-year dental students of the aetiology, diagnosis and management of EDs.Methods An anonymous electronic questionnaire was distributed to final-year dental students at the University of Manchester. Respondents reported their knowledge, confidence and education related to the management of patients with EDs.Results Over 50% of students felt they had an above average awareness of the clinical signs and oral manifestations of EDs. The majority of students lacked confidence in discussing a suspected ED diagnosis with patients (75%) and referring them to appropriate services (71%). Additionally, 58% were not confident in planning treatment for and treating a patient with an ED. In total, 100% of students reported that they would benefit from further teaching related to the management of patients with EDs.Conclusion Participants highlighted the need for further teaching related to the diagnosis and management of patients with EDs. This study supports the development of an educational resource of undergraduate dental students.

Medical and dental student knowledge about COVID-19 and influenza vaccines impact opinions about vaccine advocacy and future practice.

Introduction: The World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as a global public health challenge. Healthcare providers are among the most influential and trusted figures for vaccine counseling. This article focuses on COVID-19 and influenza personal immunization behaviors, vaccine knowledge and opinions, and vaccine counseling confidence among future healthcare providers - dental and medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted at four dental schools and one allopathic medical school in the United States. Items included personal vaccination status for the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines and vaccine-specific items developed based on past research to assess knowledge, opinions, and behaviors. Results: Two hundred and thirty-two medical and 221 dental students completed the survey. 68 and 55% scored average/above-average knowledge on COVID-19 and influenza vaccine items, respectively. There were significant differences between those with average/above-average and below-average knowledge scores regarding learning about, recommending, and advocating for vaccines and counseling vaccine-hesitant patients for both vaccines (p < 0.0001). Although higher-knowledge students had higher vaccination rates (p < 0.0001), many had insufficient knowledge about vaccines. Discussion: Healthcare providers play a crucial role in vaccine advocacy. The identified knowledge gaps are significant as they impact quality of patient care. And opinions about future vaccination practice such as recommending, providing, and counseling about vaccines. Equipping students with knowledge and communication skills will enable them to be strong vaccine advocates to improve overall public health.

Exploring dental and oral hygiene students' interprofessional readiness: a cross-sectional study in joint paediatric outreach training.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education is vital in oral healthcare education and should be integrated into both theoretical and work-based education. Little research addresses interprofessional education in dental hands-on training in authentic oral healthcare settings. The aim of the study was to examine the readiness and attitudes of dental and oral hygiene students towards interprofessional education during joint paediatric outreach training. METHODS: In the spring of 2022, a cross-sectional study was done involving dental and oral hygiene students using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) during joint paediatric outreach training. The 19-item tool was answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree). Means, standard deviations, minimums, maximums, and medians were calculated for each subscale and overall score. Students grouped according to their categorical variables were compared for statistically significant differences. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for groups of two and the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis for groups of three or more. The internal consistency of the scale was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Statistical level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: The survey included 111 participants, consisting of 51 oral hygiene students and 60 dental students, with a response rate of 93%. The questionnaire yielded a high overall mean score of 4.2. Both oral hygiene (4.3) and dental students (4.2) displayed strong readiness for interprofessional education measured by the RIPLS. The subscale of teamwork and collaboration achieved the highest score of 4.5. Students lacking prior healthcare education or work experience obtained higher RIPLS scores. Oral hygiene students rated overall items (p = 0.019) and the subscales of positive professional identity (p = < 0.001) and roles and responsibilities (p = 0.038) higher than dental students. The Cronbach's alpha represented high internal consistency for overall RIPLS scores on the scale (0.812). CONCLUSIONS: Both oral hygiene and dental students perceived shared learning as beneficial and showcased high readiness for interprofessional education, as evident in their RIPLS scores. Integrating interprofessional learning into oral hygiene and dental curricula is important. Studying together can form a good basis for future working life collaboration.

Psychometric Properties of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III in Latin American University Dental Students.

OBJECTIVE: The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III) is a self-report instrument that enables the assessment of the dimensions of adaptability and cohesion within a family, establishing whether or not that family is functional and classifying it according to categories within those dimensions. The objective of this research was to determine the psychometric properties of this instrument using a sample of dental students from 5 Latin American countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The FACES III was administered to a sample of 2888 university dental students from Colombia (35.3%), Chile (34.6%), the Dominican Republic (19%), Argentina (6%), and El Salvador (5.1%). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the scale, comparing 3 models proposed in the Latin American literature, establishing a multigroup analysis to examine invariance among countries. RESULTS: The results revealed a structure composed of 2 dimensions: cohesion and adaptability. These dimensions showed adequate structure and internal consistency. The invariance of the measurement model in the participating countries was confirmed. CONCLUSION: In general, this study offers evidence of the adequacy of the psychometric properties of FACES III in Colombian, Chilean, Dominican, Argentine, and Salvadoran dental students.

Analysis of satisfaction levels and perceptions of clinical competency: a mixed method study on objective structured clinical examinations in undergraduate dental students.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the satisfaction levels, perceptions of developing clinical competencies through objective structured clinical examination and to explore the experiences, challenges, and suggestions of undergraduate dental students. METHODS: The study adopted a mixed-method convergent design. Quantitative data were collected from 303 participants through surveys, evaluating satisfaction levels with objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Additionally, qualitative insights were gathered through student focus group interviews, fundamental themes were developed from diverse expressions on various aspects of OSCE assessments. The Chi-Square tests, was performed to assess associations between variables. Data integration involved comparing and contrasting quantitative and qualitative findings to derive comprehensive conclusions. RESULTS: The satisfaction rates include 69.4% for the organization of OSCE stations and 57.4% for overall effectiveness. However, a crucial challenge was identified, with only 36.7% of students receiving adequate post-OSCE feedback. Furthermore, a majority of students (50%) expressed concerns about the clinical relevance of OSCEs. The study showed a significant associations (p < 0.05) between satisfaction levels and years of study as well as previous OSCE experience. Student focus group interviews revealed diverse perspectives on OSCE assessments. While students appreciate the helpfulness of OSCEs, concerns were raised regarding time constraints, stress, examiner training, and the perceived lack of clinical relevance. CONCLUSION: The students anticipated concerns about the clinical relevance of OSCEs, highlighting the need for a more aligned assessment approach. Diverse perspectives on OSCE assessments reveal perceived helpfulness alongside challenges such as lack of feedback, examiner training, time constraints, and mental stress.

Unraveling motives: identifying the impact of university attendance motives on learning behaviors among dental students.

PURPOSE: Students report various motives for attending university (MAU) grouped under five categories, namely, personal-intellectual development (PER), humanitarian (HUM), careerist-materialist (CAR), expectation-driven (EXP), and uncertain motives. Although the literature demonstrates that these motives exert an influence on learning and achievement, relatively less attention is given to this issue in the context of dental students. This study aimed to examine the relationship among the mindsets, MAU, academic engagement (AE), and DAL of dental students and to test the mediating effect of AE on the relationship between MAU and deep approach to learning (DAL). METHODS: The study recruited 226 dental students at various levels of the curriculum, who responded to four questionnaires for measuring MAU, DAL, mindsets, and AE. The study employed structural equation modeling to analyze the mediation effects of AE on the relationship between MAU and DAL and to determine the influence of mindsets on MAU. RESULTS: This model reveals the significant relationships of a growth mindset with CAR, PER, and HUM. Moreover, the study finds that a fixed mindset was associated with CAR, EXP, and uncertain motives. Furthermore, AE only fully mediated the significant positive relationship between PER and DAL, whereas CAR negatively predicted DAL without a mediator. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that administering the inventories in a dental school setting can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of students' mindsets toward learning and effective processes related to learning. This understanding can inform instructors' pedagogical practices, enabling them to provide more effective guidance to students navigating the complexities of academic coursework.

Evaluating the patient sociodemographic factors affecting dental students' clinical communication skills using a three-perspective approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess undergraduate dental students' communication skills in relation to patient sociodemographic factors using a three-perspective approach; the student, the patient, and the clinical instructor perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using validated modified-communication tools; Patient Communication Assessment Instruments (PCAI), Student Communication Assessment Instruments (SCAI), and Clinical Communication Assessment Instruments (CCAI). Moreover, 176 undergraduate clinical year students were recruited in this study whereby each student was assessed by a clinical instructor, a patient, and self-evaluation. RESULTS: The clinical communication skills domains were not significantly influenced by patient sociodemographic factors, including sex, educational background, and the number of visits (p > .05). However, this study revealed a statistically significant difference in the domain of "caring and respectful" of the SCAI between the low- and middle-income groups. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, most of the patient sociodemographic factors did not affect clinical communication skills. However, patient income groups played a significant role in one of the communication domains.

Synthetic, non-person related panoramic radiographs created by generative adversarial networks in research, clinical, and teaching applications.

OBJECTIVES: Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can produce synthetic images free from personal data. They hold significant value in medical research, where data protection is increasingly regulated. Panoramic radiographs (PRs) are a well-suited modality due to their significant level of standardization while simultaneously displaying a high degree of personally identifiable data. METHODS: We produced synthetic PRs (syPRs) out of real PRs (rePRs) using StyleGAN2-ADA by NVIDIA©. A survey was performed on 54 medical professionals and 33 dentistry students. They assessed 45 radiological images (20 rePRs, 20 syPRs, and 5 syPRcontrols) as real or synthetic and interpreted a single-image syPR according to the image quality (0-10) and 14 different items (agreement/disagreement). They also rated the importance for the profession (0-10). A follow-up was performed for test-retest reliability with >10 % of all participants. RESULTS: Overall, the sensitivity was 78.2 % and the specificity was 82.5 %. For professionals, the sensitivity was 79.9 % and the specificity was 82.3 %. For students, the sensitivity was 75.5 % and the specificity was 82.7 %. In the single syPR-interpretation image quality was rated at a median of 6 and 11 items were considered as agreement. The importance for the profession was rated at a median score of 7. The Test-retest reliability yielded a value of 0.23 (Cohen's kappa). CONCLUSIONS: The study marks a comprehensive testing to demonstrate that GANs can produce synthetic radiological images that even health professionals can sometimes not differentiate from real radiological images, thereby being genuinely considered authentic. This enables their utilization and/or modification free from personally identifiable information. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Synthetic images can be used for university teaching and patient education without relying on patient-related data. They can also be utilized to upscale existing training datasets to improve the accuracy of AI-based diagnostic systems. The study thereby supports clinical teaching as well as diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making.

[A survey on the application of online and offline blended teaching in microendodontics].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of online and offline blended teaching in microendodontics, attempting to promote the widespread application of blended teaching mode in Operative Dentistry and Endodontics. Methods: A questionnaire survey was carried out among 865 trainees who attended the blended teaching in microendodontics combined the online theory curriculum and offline practice training from April 6 to 28 in 2022, organized by Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Hospital of Stomatotogy, Sun Yat-sen University. The content of questionnaire included trainees' basic information as well as their perspectives and expectations on the teaching mode. Data was analyzed by SPSS 24.0 and Chi-square test was used for enumeration data. Results: A total of 855 trainees participated in the valid survey with the effective recall rate of 98.8% (855/865), 50.3% (430/855) of which were young people in 18-30 years old. Their working period ranged from 0.5 to 40 years. Physicians and physician assistants occupied 40.9% (350/855) and 32.9% (281/855), respectively. And the intermediate and senior titles accounted for 26.2% (224/855). The proportion of trainees who had used and never used dental operative microscope (DOM) were 70.5% (603/855) and 29.5% (252/855), respectively. The blended teaching in microendodontics was universally approved by the trainees, which showed more superiority in the improvement of learning efficiency and interest, comprehension of knowledge as well as practical ability, etc., compared to the traditional offline teaching. For the current stomatology education, trainees were inclined to choose the blended teaching mode combining online theory curriculum and offline practice training, whereas 41.3% (353/855) and 39.6% (339/855) of trainees agreed that the teaching effectiveness was likely influenced by the condition and frequency of the offline training, respectively. Besides, significant differences were detected in the question about the factors affecting the blended teaching effectiveness of microendodontics between the trainees who had used and not used DOM (χ²=13.37, P=0.004). Conclusions: The application of online and offline blended teaching in microendodontics was affirmed to have some advantages, and it should be considered that the discrepancy in the level of expertise among trainees probably influenced the teaching effectiveness, which may promote the quality and effect of teaching, the spread and sharing of microendodontics, and provide experience and reference for the practice teaching of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics.

Validation of the Polish version of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale-a confirmatory factor analysis.

The Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) was developed by Robert B. Shochet, Jorie M. Colbert and Scott M. Wright of the Johns hopkins university school of medicine and consists of 28 items used to evaluate perception of the academic environment. The objective was to translate and adapt the JHLES to Polish cultural conditions and to validate the Polish version of the tool. The JHLES questionnaire was completed by students of all years (first-fifth) of the faculties of dental medicine at the Medical University of Lublin and the Medical University of Gdansk. The total surveyed population consisted of 597 students. The overall reliability of the tool was excellent. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed in order to confirm structural consistency with the original JHLES tool. Consequently, all indices had acceptable values (close to 1 or 0, depending on the case), and there was consistency in the results, which shows that the JHLES model is supported by the data. In the present study, the JHLES has been validated in a sample of dental students for the first time in Poland and Europe. Our study provided good evidence for the reliability and validity of the Polish version of the JHLES. In conclusion, the Polish-language version of the JHLES questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for analysing the learning environment for students, and its factor structure is supported by the data.

The knowledge regarding the impacts and management of black triangles among dental professionals and laypeople.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding impacts, causes and management of black triangles (BT) among participants from different educational backgrounds including dental students, dentists and laypeople. This descriptive cross-sectional observational research included 435 participants who comprised 4 groups: pre-clinical (3rd year) dental students, clinical (4th and 5th year) dental students, dentists, and laypeople. A constructed self-reported questionnaire was utilized to assess participants' demographic data and their knowledge of the impacts, causes and management of BT. The VAS scale was used to assess participants' ratings for the impacts of BT on esthetics, with 0 meaning no impact and 10 meaning very severe negative impacts. The most reported treatments for BT were "cannot be treated" 99.3% and "non-surgical periodontal treatment" 67.1%. Meanwhile, the least reported was "modify the porcelain" 41.8%. The most reported cause of BT was "periodontal disease" 85.1%. However, the least reported were "parafunction" and "deep implants" 33.1% each. Dental professionals had better knowledge of the causes (t = 8.189, P < 0.001) and management (t = 8.289, P < 0.001) of BT than the non-dental participants. The dentists had the best knowledge, while the laypeople had the least knowledge of the causes (F = 62.056, P < 0.001) and treatment (F = 46.120, P < 0.001) of BT. The knowledge of the causes (t = 0.616, P = 0.538) and treatment (t = 1.113, P = 0.266) for BT was not significantly different between males and females. Age was not significantly related to the total knowledge about the causes (r = -0.034, P = 0.475) or treatment (r = -0.034, P = 0.482) for BT. Dental professionals had better knowledge of the impacts, causes and management of BT than the non-dental participants. The dentists were the best, while the laypeople were the worst in this regard. Age and gender had no relationships with the knowledge of causes or management of BT.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of the informed consent process in oral healthcare among dental students in Makerere University Dental Hospital, Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Informed consent is an ethical and legal component of healthcare. It ensures patient autonomy and allows patients to make decisions regarding their treatment. In dental care, informed consent is particularly important because most dental procedures are invasive. Since dental students are future dentists, they need to learn about their ethical obligations and accountability through the informed consent process as this is critical to patients' well-being. This study aimed to determine dental students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the informed consent process for oral health care in Makerere University Dental Hospital, Uganda. STUDY METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using quantitative methods. It was carried out at Makerere University Dental Hospital and third, fourth, and fifth-year students (n = 102) pursuing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery program took part in the survey. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of informed consent for oral health care. Collected data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1, where it was cleaned, coded, and imported to STATA version 14 software for statistical analysis. RESULTS: About two-thirds 67 (65.7%) of the participants were males. The mean age was 25 (SD = 3.21) years. The majority (90%) of the students had a high level of knowledge of the informed consent process. About (80%) had a positive attitude towards informed consent and (85%) most often practiced the informed consent process. Based on bi-variate analysis, training on informed consent, year of study, age, and sex were significantly associated with the informed consent process. However, there was no significant risk factor associated with informed consent in multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The study findings highlighted high levels of knowledge, positive attitude, and practice of the informed consent process among the clinical dental students. Continuous training is necessary to remind dental students about the importance of informed consent in healthcare, not only for complex procedures.

Determining the psychometric properties of a written test to assess safe dental practice.

INTRODUCTION: Safe practice in medicine and dentistry has been a global priority area in which large knowledge gaps are present.Patient safety strategies aim at preventing unintended damage to patients that can be caused by healthcare practitioners. One of the components of patient safety is safe clinical practice. Patient safety efforts will help in ensuring safe dental practice for early detection and limiting non-preventable errors.A valid and reliable instrument is required to assess the knowledge of dental students regarding patient safety. OBJECTIVE: To determine the psychometric properties of a written test to assess safe dental practice in undergraduate dental students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A test comprising 42 multiple-choice questions of one-best type was administered to final year students (52) of a private dental college. Items were developed according to National Board of Medical Examiners item writing guidelines. The content of the test was determined in consultation with dental experts (either professor or associate professor). These experts had to assess each item on the test for language clarity as A: clear, B: ambiguous and relevance as 1: essential, 2: useful, not necessary, 3: not essential. Ethical approval was taken from the concerned dental college. Statistical analysis was done in SPSS V.25 in which descriptive analysis, item analysis and Cronbach's alpha were measured. RESULT: The test scores had a reliability (calculated by Cronbach's alpha) of 0.722 before and 0.855 after removing 15 items. CONCLUSION: A reliable and valid test was developed which will help to assess the knowledge of dental students regarding safe dental practice. This can guide medical educationist to develop or improve patient safety curriculum to ensure safe dental practice.

The PocketPerio application significantly increases the accuracy of diagnosing periodontal conditions in didactic and chairside settings.

The study aimed to determine the accuracy of diagnosing periodontal conditions using the developed web-based PocketPerio application and evaluate the user's perspective on the use of PocketPerio. First, 22 third-year dental students (DS3) diagnosed ten cases without PocketPerio (control) and with PocketPerio (test) during a mock examination. Then, 105 DS3, 13 fourth-year dental students (DS4), and 32 senior second-year International Standing Program students (ISP2) used PocketPerio chairside. Statistical analysis was performed using a non-parametric paired two-tailed test of significance with the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. The null hypothesis that PocketPerio did not increase the accuracy of periodontal diagnoses was rejected at α < 0.01. Periodontal diagnoses made using PocketPerio correlated with those made by periodontics faculty ("gold standard") in all cases. During the mock examination, PocketPerio significantly increased the accuracy of periodontal diagnoses compared to the control (52.73 vs. 13.18%, respectively). Chairside, PocketPerio significantly increased the accuracy of primary (100 vs. 40.0%) and secondary (100 vs. 14.25%) periodontal diagnoses compared to the respective controls. Students regardless of their training year felt more confident in diagnosing periodontal conditions using PocketPerio than their current tools, provided positive feedback on its features, and suggested avenues for its further development.

Effectiveness of a flipped classroom for undergraduate in implant dentistry hands-on course.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the learning in the implant dentistry hands-on course to that of the flipped classroom (FC) and the traditional lecture cohorts (control). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study,80 students were enrolled for the first time in an implant dentistry program. Subsequently, they were divided into two groups. The first, the FC group, which had free access to a video with a PowerPoint presentation on the Chaoxing-WHU-MOOC platform about the implant placement on first molar sites before class. The second, the control group, which attended a didactic lecture describing implant practice on the first molar site via a bidirectional multimedia interactive teaching demonstration and then operated on a simulation model. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and the deviation gauge were utilized to analyze the accuracy of the implant placement in the students' models. An online satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to both groups one week after the class. RESULTS: The linear deviation of the CBCT examination did not show any statistical difference between the two groups concerning cervical, apex, and angular. A significant buccal deviation was observed in the control group compared with the FC group (mean: 0.7436 mm vs. 0.2875 mm, p = 0.0035), according to the restoration-level deviation gauge. A total of 74.36% of students in the FC group placed implant within 0.5 mm buccal-to-lingual deviations, but only 41.03% of students in the control group reached within 0.5 mm buccal-to-lingual deviation ranges. Additionally, 91.67% of the students in the FC group and 97.5% of the students in the control group were satisfied with the practical implant class. CONCLUSION: FC was more effective than a didactic lecture for implant dentistry practical skill acquisition.

The Revival of Essay-Type Questions in Medical Education: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse and compare the assessment and grading of human-written and machine-written formative essays. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental, qualitative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Science of Dental Materials, Hamdard College of Medicine & Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, from February to April 2023. METHODOLOGY: Ten short formative essays of final-year dental students were manually assessed and graded. These essays were then graded using ChatGPT version 3.5. The chatbot responses and prompts were recorded and matched with manually graded essays. Qualitative analysis of the chatbot responses was then performed. RESULTS: Four different prompts were given to the artificial intelligence (AI) driven platform of ChatGPT to grade the summative essays. These were the chatbot's initial responses without grading, the chatbot's response to grading against criteria, the chatbot's response to criteria-wise grading, and the chatbot's response to questions for the difference in grading. Based on the results, four innovative ways of using AI and machine learning (ML) have been proposed for medical educators: Automated grading, content analysis, plagiarism detection, and formative assessment. ChatGPT provided a comprehensive report with feedback on writing skills, as opposed to manual grading of essays. CONCLUSION: The chatbot's responses were fascinating and thought-provoking. AI and ML technologies can potentially supplement human grading in the assessment of essays. Medical educators need to embrace AI and ML technology to enhance the standards and quality of medical education, particularly when assessing long and short essay-type questions. Further empirical research and evaluation are needed to confirm their effectiveness. KEY WORDS: Machine learning, Artificial intelligence, Essays, ChatGPT, Formative assessment.