An assessment of preclinical removable prosthodontics based on multiple-choice questions: Stakeholders' perceptions.

PURPOSE: Item analysis of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is an essential tool for identifying items that can be stored, revised, or discarded to build a quality MCQ bank. This study analyzed MCQs based on item analysis to develop a pool of valid and reliable items and investigate stakeholders' perceptions regarding MCQs in a written summative assessment (WSA) based on this item analysis. METHODS: In this descriptive study, 55 questions each from 2016 to 2019 of WSA in preclinical removable prosthodontics for fourth-year undergraduate dentistry students were analyzed for item analysis. Items were categorized according to their difficulty index (DIF I) and discrimination index (DI). Students (2021-2022) were assessed using this question bank. Students' perceptions of and feedback from faculty members concerning this assessment were collected using a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Of 220 items when both indices (DIF I and DI) were combined, 144 (65.5%) were retained in the question bank, 66 (30%) required revision before incorporation into the question bank, and only 10 (4.5%) were discarded. The mean DIF I and DI values were 69% (standard deviation [Std.Dev] = 19) and 0.22 (Std.Dev = 0.16), respectively, for 220 MCQs. The mean scores from the questionnaire for students and feedback from faculty members ranged from 3.50 to 4.04 and from 4 to 5, respectively, indicating that stakeholders tended to agree and strongly agree, respectively, with the proposed statements. CONCLUSION: This study assisted the prosthodontics department in creating a set of prevalidated questions with known difficulty and discrimination capacity.

Prevalence of Total Edentulism and Panoramic Radiographic Findings of Totally Edentulous Patients in a Dental School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Background The prevalence of total edentulism differs significantly between countries and between cities/regions within the same country. It can be affected by various factors, such as age, sex, and socioeconomic factors along with lifestyle and health behavior. Positive findings on panoramic radiographs are frequently observed in totally edentulous patients (TEP) during routine screening. Objectives This study aimed to retrospectively determine the prevalence of total edentulism and to evaluate the distribution and location of positive findings on panoramic radiographs of TEP at a dental school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods A total of 12,428 digital panoramic radiographs of patients aged ≥35 years seeking treatment at a dental school from January 2018 to December 2021 were evaluated to determine the prevalence of total edentulism. Retained root stumps, impacted teeth, radiolucent, and radiopaque lesions were detected on the panoramic radiographs of the TEP. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Among the 12,428 patients, 521 (4.2%) showed total edentulism on their panoramic radiographs. The prevalence of edentulism was the highest among patients aged >65 years (n=305, 4.5%), men (n=246, 4.2%), and non-Saudi citizens (n=300, 4.4%). A total of 198 radiographic findings were identified in 150 patients. The frequency rates of retained root stumps and impacted teeth were 19.2% (n=100) and 4.6% (n=24), respectively. Radiolucent and radiopaque lesions each accounted for 2.5% (n=13) of the lesions. Conclusions The prevalence of edentulism was higher in patients aged >65 years, male patients, and non-Saudi citizens. Retained root stumps were most often encountered among the four positive findings on panoramic radiographs. Considering the high frequency of positive radiographic findings in TEP, panoramic radiographs must be routinely obtained for TEP, but caution must be exercised to reduce the effects of radiation.

The 100 most cited articles in prosthodontic journals: A bibliometric analysis of articles published between 1951 and 2019.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Bibliometric studies to determine the characteristics of the most cited articles in prosthodontic journals are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the 100 most cited articles in prosthodontic journals between 1951 and 2019. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Google Scholar database was used to retrieve the list of journals with titles containing the term "Prosthodontic" or "Prosthetic." Twelve journals were filtered, and of these, only 8 were related to dentistry and hence were included in the study. A search was then performed for each of the selected journals under "Publication Name," and articles were arranged by the category "Times Cited." The 100 most cited articles from the 8 journals were selected and analyzed with regard to journal name, year of publication, authors and their country, type of study, and area of research. RESULTS: The 100 most cited articles were published between 1958 and 2013, with the numbers of citations ranging between 2368 and 343. The journal with the largest number of the articles cited was the "Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry" with 72 articles, followed by the "International Journal of Prosthodontics" with 25 articles. The decade with most articles published was the 1990s with 33 articles. Many of the authors of most cited articles were from the United States or Sweden. Most articles reported reviews (35 articles), followed by experimental studies (34); the most commonly cited area of research was related to dental implants. CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis of the 100 most cited articles revealed interesting facts about scientific progress in the field of prosthodontics.