Students' Perspective on Undergraduate Research Experiences in Indonesian Dental Schools.

Undergraduate (UG) research is considered as an essential part of dental education. Numerous dental schools have included required course-based undergraduate research in their curricula. However, the implementation of UG research courses in the curriculum may vary between dental schools. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate student perspectives on UG research in the curriculum of Indonesian dental schools. A total of 203 participants from 10 dental schools returned the questionnaire. The participants were clinical students of the dentistry profession program who completed their undergraduate dentistry program from 2017 to 2022. The majority of study participants favored UG research in the curriculum of the undergraduate dentistry study program. Less than 20% participants perceived UG research experiments were not important in dental education. Factors that influenced these perceptions included the availability of adequate time to complete the course and sufficient support from research supervisors. Recommendations for improvement included providing an adequate time to complete UG research and adequate supervision to guide students to understand the conceptual background information of the research topics, designs, and scientific communication of data interpretation. Regular monitoring of students' performance and progress would ensure completion of UG research courses in a timely manner. In conclusion, although UG research as a compulsory course in the Indonesian dental curriculum was well received by the students, overcoming the challenges is essential for the improvement of the research environment for undergraduate dental students.

Serious game as oral histology learning strategy for undergraduate dental students; crossover randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Oral histology is perceived by dental students as a challenging subject and often struggle to recognize the long-term relevance of understanding the cells and tissues at the microscopic level. Serious games have been reported to have a positive effect on student cognitive skills and learning motivation. However, there is still a limited amount of research supporting the effectiveness of serious games as a learning method in dentistry. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of serious game of HistoRM as a complementary learning strategy for oral histology. METHODS: The study design was a crossover randomized controlled trial. A total of 74 first year dental students of Universitas Indonesia participated in the study and divided into 2 groups. Study intervention included HistoRM game for 3 days followed by a combination of HistoRM and script-based handouts for another 4 days. The groups represented different intervention sequences. Evaluation was performed using pre-test, post-test on day 3 and 7 and a questionnaire. RESULTS: The data showed significant improvement of student cognitive skills (p < 0.001) and it was influenced by the number of game missions completed. Students who completed the whole 15 missions have a higher day-7 post-tests scores (p = 0.03). Perception of dental students on HistoRM was positive in all domains tested, the learning content, games and learning experience domains. Immediate feedback given after each gameplay helped the students understand the subject matters. CONCLUSION: Serious game of HistoRM effectively improved students' understanding of oral histology learning outcome and provided more interesting learning experiences. This innovative learning can be recommended as a complementary learning strategy of oral histology for dental students.

Student perspective of classroom and distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic in the undergraduate dental study program Universitas Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health issue and has had a major impact on education. Consequently, half way through the second semester of the academic year 2019/2020, learning methods were delivered through distance learning (DL). We aimed to evaluate the student perspective of DL compared to classroom learning (CL) in the undergraduate dentistry study program at the Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia. METHODS: An online questionnaire was sent at the end of the semester. A total of 301 students participated in the study. RESULTS: Duration of study influenced student preference. Higher number of first-year students preferred DL compared to their seniors (p < 0.001). Students preferred CL for group discussion, as DL resulted in more difficult communication and gave less learning satisfaction. Only 44.2% students preferred DL over CL, although they agreed that DL gave a more efficient learning method (52.6%), it provided more time to study (87.9%) and to review study materials (87.3%). Challenges during DL included external factors such as unstable internet connection, extra financial burden for the internet quota and internal factors such as time management and difficulty to focus while learning online for a longer period of time. CONCLUSION: Despite some challenges, dental students could adapt to the new learning methods of full DL and the majorities agreed blended learning that combined classroom and distance learning can be implemented henceforth. This current COVID-19 pandemic, changes not only the utilization of technology in education but the pedagogy strategies in the future.

Inhibition and Eradication Effect of Javanese turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. ) Extract Against Mature Phase Biofilm of Candida albicans

Objective: To analyze the potency of Javanese turmeric extract in inhibiting and eradicating the mature phase of C. albicans biofilm. Material and Methods: C. albicans ATCC 10231 was cultured in Sabouraud Dextrose Broth on a 96-well plate and was incubated at 37ºC. To analyze its inhibitory effect, C. albicans cultures were incubated for 1.5 hours before being exposed to various concentrations of Javanese turmeric extract, followed by a further 48-hour incubation to reach the maturation phase. To analyze the eradication effect, the 48-hour C. albicans cultures were exposed to the extract and incubated further for 24 hours. Nystatin (100,000 IU) was used as a positive control. The percentage of viable C. albicans cells on the 48-hour biofilm was determined by a methylthiazol tetrazolium assay. This value was converted into the percentage of the extract's minimum inhibitory and eradication concentrations. Results: Against the mature phase C. albicans biofilm, the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration of the Javanese turmeric extract was 40%, while the minimum biofilm eradication concentration was 45%. There were significant differences between the inhibition percentage of the positive control and that of the solutions exposed to Javanese turmeric with all the tested concentrations (p<0.05). There was a strong positive correlation between the increase in extract concentration and the eradication percentage of the mature C. albicans biofilm (r=0.981). Conclusion: Javanese turmeric extract is potential for inhibiting and eradicating mature phase C. albicans biofilm. The extract is more effective in inhibiting than in eradicating the biofilm.