A Scoring System for Assessing Learning Progression of Dental Students' Clinical Skills Using Haptic Virtual Workstations.

The aim of this study was to develop and test a scoring system to assess the learning progression of novice dental students using haptic virtual workstations. For the study, 101 first-year dental students at a UK dental school conducted one practice task (task 1) and four simulated cavity removal tasks (tasks 2-5) of increasing difficulty over two laboratory sessions in 2015. Performance data on the students' attempts were recorded as haptic technology-enhanced learning (hapTEL) log-files showing the percentage of caries, healthy tissue, and pulp removed. On-screen results were photographed and submitted by the students to the tutors. A scoring system named the Accuracy of Caries Excavation (ACE) score was devised to score these results and achieve an even distribution of scores and a calculated combined score. A total of 127 individual logged attempts by 80% of the students over sessions 1 and 2 were recorded and submitted to the tutors. The mean ACE scores for both sessions for tasks 2 through 5 were 9.2, 11.6, 6.4, and 4.9, respectively; for Session 2 (tasks 3-5), scores were 12.4, 6.7, and 5.0, respectively (p<0.001). The average performance on task 3, which was attempted in similar numbers during both sessions, improved from the first to the second session (8.14 vs. 12.38; p=0.009). Using the HapTEL system in a first-year BDS curriculum improved the students' performance of simulated cavity preparation after practicing over two sessions. Use of the ACE scoring system enabled tutors to make consistent assessments across a large student cohort and provided an objective method of formative assessment.

Fostering Dental Students' Academic Achievements and Reflection Skills Through Clinical Peer Assessment and Feedback.

Peer assessment is increasingly being encouraged to enhance dental students' learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational impact in terms of academic achievements and reflective thinking of a formative prospective peer assessment and feedback protocol. Volunteer final-year dental students at King's College London Dental Institute, UK, received training on peer assessment, peer feedback, and self-reflection. At the beginning (baseline) and end (resultant) of the 2012-13 academic year, 86 students (55% of the year group) completed a reflection questionnaire (RQ). Sixty-eight of those students used a modified Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) as a framework for peer assessment and peer feedback during a complete academic year. End-of-year, high-stakes examination grades and RQ scores from the participants and nonparticipants were statistically compared. The participants completed 576 peer DOPS. Those 22 students who peer assessed each other ≥10 times exhibited highly statistically significant differences and powerful positive effect sizes in their high-stakes exam grades (p=0.0001, d=0.74) and critical reflection skills (p=0.005, d=1.41) when compared to those who did not assess one another. Furthermore, only the same 22 students showed a statistically significant increase and positive effect size in their critical reflection skills from baseline to resultant (p=0.003, d=1.04). The results of this study suggest that the protocol used has the potential to impact dental students' academic and reflection skills, provided it is practiced in ten or more peer encounters and ensuring peer feedback is provided followed by self-reflection.

Quantitative measurement of tooth and ceramic wear: in vivo study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to quantitatively measure tooth and ceramic wear over a 2-year period using a novel superimposition technique. Three ceramic systems--experimental hot-pressed ceramic (EC), Procera AllCeram (PA), and metal-ceramic--were used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 90 posterior crowns in 48 patients were randomized into 3 groups, and impressions were made at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 2 years. Clinical images were taken after using a dye to highlight surface changes. The impressions were digitized and modeled as superimposable 3-dimensional colored surface images. The depth of wear at the occlusal contact areas was quantitatively measured at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. RESULTS: The quantitative evaluation showed more wear in Procera AllCeram at the occlusal contact areas, whereas the experimental and metal-ceramic systems showed less wear. There was a significant difference in the amount of enamel worn between all types of restorations (P < .05). There was a statistically significant difference (P < .05) in the mean depth of wear between all systems. CONCLUSIONS: The metal-ceramic and experimental systems showed less change, indicating improved wear resistance compared with Procera AllCeram. In addition, enamel opposing metal-ceramic and experimental crowns showed less wear compared to enamel opposed by Procera AIICeram crowns.

Survey on the teaching and use of mineral trioxide aggregate in UK dental schools.

The aim was to find out whether undergraduate students in UK dental schools were taught about and used clinically Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA). The census point was the end of October 2005 when a total of 220 papers were cited on PubMed. A questionnaire was sent to 13 schools, all of which responded. Three schools had dedicated units, or departments, of endodontology. The endodontic staff in every school used MTA in clinical practice. In all 13 schools undergraduate students were taught about the clinical use of MTA in endodontics, but in only nine schools were they taught about its use in paediatric dentistry. In none of the 13 schools did students have the opportunity to use MTA in preclinical exercises. The opportunity for some students to observe the use of MTA in specific procedures varied according to the procedure. Students in seven schools had the opportunity to observe pulp capping with MTA, as well as its use in immature roots, in nine schools to observe use of MTA in surgical endodontics, and in 12 schools to observe perforation repair. The opportunity for students to use MTA in specific procedures varied according to the procedure, and was less than that for observation. The material routinely used by students varied according to the procedure; in five schools the routine material for root-end surgery was MTA, otherwise students largely used traditional materials. Despite there being 220 papers on MTA over a 10-year period the introduction of its clinical use in the undergraduate curriculum was limited.

Team training at an outreach dental unit.

A cohort of eighty nine undergraduate dental students worked for one year on two clinics completing a total of 3901 days work. Most of this time (63%) was spent at a site with shared nursing support, but despite this another site with dedicated nursing support produced approximately the same output. Students and nurses preferred working as a team rather than sharing; 98% of the students completed a questionnaire on the role of dental nurses and the majority identified chairside assistance as being the most important contribution to the increased throughput of patients.