Independent reporting in oral and maxillofacial pathology.

AIMS: To understand the current practice, extent of use and barriers related to independent reporting (IR) in oral and maxillofacial pathology (OMFP) training in the UK. METHODS: A questionnaire was created containing questions about the experiences and opinions surrounding IR in OMFP. The target participants were (1) consultants in OMFP who had been involved in training OMFP trainees in the last 5 years and (2) current OMFP trainees. The questionnaire was delivered via Google Forms and disseminated using a link in an invitation email sent to the participants. RESULTS: A total of 13 consultant responses (response rate of 81%) and 12 trainee responses (response rate of 92%) were received. Of these, three consultants and five trainees were using IR at the time of the study. Several themes emerged highlighting the perceived benefits and concerns regarding IR. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there is a disparity in the way IR is used in OMFP training across the UK. There was shared concern between consultants and trainees regarding the lack of clear guidance and subsequent fear of litigation. These are issues that need to be addressed if trainees are to have a similar experience across the country and be prepared for independent practice on completion of training.

Grado de conocimiento de la población acerca del cáncer bucal y su prevención / Degree of knowledge of the population about oral cancer and its prevention

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar el grado de conocimiento que poseen las personas que concurren a una campaña de prevención de Cáncer bucal, en relación a: mucosas orales sanas, lesiones cancerizables y factores de riesgo que pueden desencadenar este tipo de patologías, como así también identificar prácticas de auto-cuidado que realizan para prevenirlas. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 80 personas encuestadas en la capital de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina, en una zona de residencia de universitarios, en diciembre del 2014, en el marco de la campaña de prevención del cáncer de boca. Se aplicó una encuesta modificada de JC Quintana Díaz y col. Los resultados más relevantes obtenidos fueron: respecto del conocimiento de la existencia del cáncer bucal, un 63,8% conocía de su presencia y se obtuvieron similares porcentajes referentes a anormalidades en las mucosas, tales como tener "fuegos" o llagas en la boca o lesiones de abultamientos, siendo la mayor lesión anormal reconocida el hecho de tener manchas en la boca (90%). El conocimiento sobre los factores de riesgo en general fue insuficiente. Los factores más registrados como promotores del cáncer bucal fueron: el cigarrillo 88,80%, la exposición solar 56%, y el alcohol 47%, habiendo encontrado un gran desconocimiento de factores como el virus del VPH 70%. El 56% de los entrevistados presentó alguna vez una lesión bucal, el 46% se examinaba entre una y dos veces al año y el 17% se examinaba tres o más veces al año. Entendiéndose por examinarse a mirarse el interior de la boca frente a un espejo con luz artificial. De los resultados obtenidos concluimos que, aun teniendo en cuenta el nivel de escolaridad alto de la muestra, el grado de conocimiento de la población sobre factores de riesgo en relación al cáncer oral es insuficiente (AU)

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of knowledge possessed by people who attend a prevention campaign for oral cancer, in relation to; healthy oral mucous membranes, cancerous lesions and risk factors that can trigger this type of pathologies, as well as identify self-care practices that are carried out to prevent them. The sample consisted of 80 people surveyed in the capital of the province of Córdoba Argentina, in an area of residence of university students, in December 2014 as part of the mouth cancer prevention campaign. A modified survey was applied by JC Quintana Díaz et al. The most relevant results, obtained, were; Regarding the knowledge of the existence of oral cancer, 63.8% were aware of its presence and similar percentages were obtained regarding mucosal abnormalities such as having "fires" or sores in the mouth or bulging lesions, the largest lesion being Abnormal recognized the fact of having spots in the mouth (90%). The knowledge about the risk factors in general was insufficient. The most registered factors as promoters of oral cancer were the 88.80% cigarette, 56% solar exposure and 47% alcohol, having found a great ignorance of factors such as the HPV virus 70%. 56% of those interviewed had a buccal lesion at some time, 46% were examined once or twice a year and 17% were examined three or more times a year. Understanding by examining yourself to look inside the mouth in front of a mirror with artificial light. From the results obtained we conclude that; even taking into account the high level of schooling of the sample, the degree of knowledge of the population about risk factors in relation to oral cancer is insufficient (AU)

Dental Students' Perceptions and Performance in Use of Conventional and Virtual Microscopy in Oral Pathology.

Virtual microscopy (VM) is a technology for showing microscope slides using computers and could be considered a progression of classic methodology using optical microscopes. The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and performance of dental students in oral pathology regarding the use of conventional microscopy (CM) and VM in relation to teaching and learning. All fourth-semester dental students (N=165) in an oral pathology course at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil in 2016-17 were invited to participate in the study. Students first answered a questionnaire with ten multiple-choice items on VM in comparison with CM and then took an exam divided into two sections: the first contained three virtual slides on the computer; in the second, three glass slides were positioned in an optical microscope. Each slide question, asking students to identify the oral lesion shown, was worth two points. Both conventional and virtual slides were chosen from the main lectures in the oral pathology classes. Of the students, 132 completed the questionnaire (80% response rate), and 77 completed the exam (46.7% response rate). On the questionnaire results, most students perceived that VM was a superior method for teaching and learning compared to CM. Students earned a total of 312 points on the questions with virtual slides and earned 190 points on the questions with conventional slides. In this study, the use of VM in oral pathology teaching was favored by the students over CM and also contributed to these students' learning.

[Standardized training system for oral and maxillofacial radiology specialist in the United States].

Oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMR) in the United States is one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA). It has a nearly 100-year history of development and has also established a complete set of specialist training system. Staffing, base facilities, financial status, timing of training courses, contents, plans, and goals to be achieved are all clearly defined. All training centers need to undergo regular assessments every seven years with the ADA's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). After graduation, the specialist graduates can be engaged in the clinical teaching and scientific research of radiological diagnosis in universities or general hospitals. They also have the option to open their own business by setting up imaging diagnostic centers or being specialized in tele-radiology to provide imaging diagnosis or consultation report to clinicians in other disciplines, or even assisting in the development of treatment planning for dental implants and orthodontic procedures. Of course, stomatology and OMR education systems are different in China and the United States due to different national conditions. Although the experience in the United States cannot be completely copied, many concepts, standards and goals of OMR specialty training there have been practiced and improved for a long period of time and are worth learning by the Chinese OMR counterparts or relevant agencies.

Effect of Lecture Attendance and Prerequisite Academic Outcomes on Dental Students' Oral Pathology Performance.

Decreased lecture attendance in undergraduate and health science professions education has been noted throughout the world. The limited study of the effect of lecture attendance on dental students' performance has yielded mixed results, with some studies finding a positive effect and others reporting no association. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lecture attendance on dental students' final grades in an oral pathology course at one U.S. dental school. Due to a curriculum change, second- and third-year students (N=233) were concurrently enrolled in the spring 2016 oral pathology (OP) course. Students' course grades were compared to attendance percentage (Att), grades in prerequisite basic science (PBS) courses, and Academic Average and Total Science (TS) scores on the Dental Admission Test. The results showed that both Att (p=0.011) and TS score (p<0.001) were significant predictors of OP grade, while race, gender, and age were not. Students' grades in OP were moderately to strongly correlated with their grades in all PBS courses (p<0.001). These results suggest that lecture attendance in OP should be encouraged but viewed in light of the finding that it was not as strongly correlated as PBS course performance and was a weaker predictor than TS score. Students with lower TS scores and PBS course grades should be encouraged to use additional supports such as tutoring to improve their performance in OP.

Using virtual microscopy to deliver an integrated oral pathology course for undergraduate dental students.

Dental students in the United Kingdom usually study histopathology as part of their undergraduate curriculum and this has traditionally been delivered using light microscopes in laboratory classes. Beginning in 2005, the oral pathology course in Sheffield was gradually modified by the introduction of virtual microscopy with a focus on creating a more integrated, clinically orientated and dynamic approach to student teaching and learning in histopathology. The purpose of this paper is to describe how virtual microscopy has been used to enhance dental students' learning of oral pathology, and its role in facilitating an integrated oral disease curriculum in Sheffield.

[Application of mind mapping in the teaching of oral and maxillofacial development].

Oral and maxillofacial development is the course that the oral students first learn, and their mastery directly influences the study of other courses that follow. The application of mind mapping in the teaching of the development of oral maxillofacial region can make the temporal and spatial features of oral and maxillofacial development in the form of visual presentation, help students build development mode of thinking, stimulate students' interest in learning, improve the quality of teaching of oral histopathology, and promote the new teaching concept in oral pathology teaching.

Integration of Traditional and E-Learning Methods to Improve Learning Outcomes for Dental Students in Histopathology.

Dental students require a basic ability to explain and apply general principles of pathology to systemic, dental, and oral pathology. Although there have been recent advances in electronic and online resources, the academic effectiveness of using self-directed e-learning tools in pathology courses for dental students is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if blended learning combining e-learning with traditional learning methods of lectures and tutorials would improve students' scores and satisfaction over those who experienced traditional learning alone. Two consecutive cohorts of Bachelor of Dentistry and Oral Health students taking the general pathology course at Griffith University in Australia were compared. The control cohort experienced traditional methods only, while members of the study cohort were also offered self-directed learning materials including online resources and online microscopy classes. Final assessments for the course were used to compare the differences in effectiveness of the intervention, and students' satisfaction with the teaching format was evaluated using questionnaires. On the final course assessments, students in the study cohort had significantly higher scores than students in the control cohort (p<0.01). Analysis of questionnaire results showed improved student satisfaction with the course in the study cohort. These findings suggest that the use of e-learning tools such as virtual microscopy and interactive online resources for delivering pathology instruction can be an effective supplement for developing dental students' competence, confidence, and satisfaction.

[Application of diversified teaching methods to improve the teaching effects in the course of oral histology and pathology].

Oral histology and pathology is one of the most important courses in stomatological education which works as a bridge between basic medical courses and clinical courses of oral science. The knowledge of oral histopathology may help the students to correctly understand the histogenesis and development of oral diseases and provide the information for correct treatment and prevention. In order to make the students grasp the necessary basic theories, increase the interest in learning, and improve the teaching effect, we explored a diversified teaching system which included diverse teaching modes, online courses and courseware construction. The application of this system offered the interaction between students and teachers and combination of classes with the internet, and made the boring pathological knowledge be associated with clinical practice. These diversified teaching methods had been used in practice and obtained good teaching results.

Ability of Dental Students in Spain to Identify Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Cancer.

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of students at the School of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, to diagnose oral cancer and other potentially malignant disorders, as well as to compare their ability at different stages of the learning process and evaluate their knowledge retention. Students were surveyed after they had studied oral medicine and oral pathology at two time points: midway through and near the end of their studies. The survey consisted of questions about 40 photographs of benign oral lesions, malignant oral lesions, and potentially malignant disorders. The response rate for all groups was greater than 70%. The results showed that these students' overall success rate in differentiating benign from malignant lesions averaged 73.9%. When the distinction for potentially malignant disorders was included, their average overall success rate decreased to 42.8% (p<0.001). Furthermore, the students' average success rate was at its lowest at the end of the dental program (p<0.001). Results from this study suggest that, given these students' difficulties in identifying potentially malignant disorders, an increased emphasis on cancer education in the dental curriculum may be needed for future practitioners to master this ability.

Development of a mobile device optimized cross platform-compatible oral pathology and radiology spaced repetition system for dental education.

Combining active recall testing with spaced repetition increases memory retention. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare students' perception and utilization of an electronic spaced repetition oral pathology-radiology system in dental hygiene education and predoctoral dental education. The study employed an open-source suite of applications to create electronic "flashcards" that can be individually adjusted for frequency of repetition, depending on a user's assessment of difficulty. Accessible across multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Linux, OSX, Windows) as well as via any web-based browser, this framework was used to develop an oral radiology-oral pathology database of case-based questions. This system was introduced in two courses: sophomore oral pathology for dental students and sophomore radiology for dental hygiene students. Students were provided free software and/or mobile tablet devices as well as a database of 300 electronic question cards. Study participants were surveyed on frequency and extent of use. Perception-based surveys were used to evaluate their attitudes towards this technology. Of the eligible students, 12 of 22 (54.5%) dental hygiene and 49 of 107 (45.8%) dental students responded to the surveys. Adoption rates and student feedback were compared between the two groups. Among the respondents, acceptance of this technology with respect to educational usefulness was similar for the dental and dental hygiene students (median=5 on a five-point scale; dental hygiene interquartile range (IQR)=0; dental IQR=1). Only a minority of the survey respondents (25% dental, 33% dental hygiene) took advantage of one of the main benefits of this technology: automated spaced repetition.

Transition from glass to digital slide microscopy in the teaching of oral pathology in a Brazilian dental school

OBJECTIVES: Several medical and dental schools have described their experience in the transition from conventional to digital microscopy in the teaching of general pathology and histology disciplines; however, this transitional process has scarcely been reported in the teaching of oral pathology. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to report the transition from conventional glass slide to virtual microscopy in oral pathology teaching, a unique experience in Latin America. Study DESIGN: An Aperio Scan Scope(R) scanner was used to digitalize histological slides used in practical lectures of oral pathology. The challenges and benefits observed by the group of Professors from the Piracicaba Dental School (Brazil) are described and a questionnaire to evaluate the students' compliance to this new methodology was applied. RESULTS: An improvement in the classes was described by the Professors who mainly dealt with questions related to pathological changes instead of technical problems; also, a higher interaction with the students was described. The simplicity of the software used and the high quality of the virtual slides, requiring a smaller time to identify microscopic structures, were considered important for a better teaching process. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual microscopy used to teach oral pathology represents a useful educational methodology, withan excellent compliance of the dental students

Transition from glass to digital slide microscopy in the teaching of oral pathology in a Brazilian dental school.

OBJECTIVES: Several medical and dental schools have described their experience in the transition from conventional to digital microscopy in the teaching of general pathology and histology disciplines; however, this transitional process has scarcely been reported in the teaching of oral pathology. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to report the transition from conventional glass slide to virtual microscopy in oral pathology teaching, a unique experience in Latin America. STUDY DESIGN: An Aperio ScanScope® scanner was used to digitalize histological slides used in practical lectures of oral pathology. The challenges and benefits observed by the group of Professors from the Piracicaba Dental School (Brazil) are described and a questionnaire to evaluate the students' compliance to this new methodology was applied. RESULTS: An improvement in the classes was described by the Professors who mainly dealt with questions related to pathological changes instead of technical problems; also, a higher interaction with the students was described. The simplicity of the software used and the high quality of the virtual slides, requiring a smaller time to identify microscopic structures, were considered important for a better teaching process. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual microscopy used to teach oral pathology represents a useful educational methodology, with an excellent compliance of the dental students.

Undergraduate education in special needs dentistry in Malaysian and Australian dental schools.

Meeting the oral health care needs of the growing population of people with special health care needs (SHCN) starts with dental students' acquisition of sound knowledge and development of clinical competence at the predoctoral level. The aim of this study was to review the level of undergraduate education in Special Needs Dentistry (SND) in Malaysian and Australian dental schools. The deans of all six Malaysian public dental schools and eight of nine Australian dental schools participated in a postal survey on current undergraduate didactic and clinical training in SND at their institutions. The results showed the number of dental schools in Malaysia with teaching in SND as a specific discipline was relatively low compared to that of Australia. However, a high percentage of Malaysian and Australian dental schools reported incorporating teaching of SND into pediatric dentistry (83.3 percent vs. 75 percent), oral medicine/oral pathology (66.7 percent vs. 75 percent), and oral surgery (66.7 percent vs. 25 percent). Most respondents said their school delivered SND clinical training in dental school clinics, hospital-based settings, and residential aged care facilities. Respondents in both countries viewed lack of faculty expertise as the greatest barrier to providing SND education. The study provides valuable information that can direct SND curriculum development in the two countries.

An international survey of speciality training in oral and maxillofacial pathology.

BACKGROUND: Speciality training in oral and maxillofacial pathology (OMFP) across the world would be aided by guidance on a generic curriculum and training programme that all countries could use as a template. In order to facilitate this, we require an understanding of the various forms which OMFP training takes across the world. METHODS: We sent a questionnaire to OMF pathologists in the 42 countries represented in the IAOP membership, via their Regional Councillor. The questionnaire included detailed demographics, entry requirements, specialty training program and facilities/resources. RESULTS: Replies were received from 22/42 countries (52%). OMFP is a dental/dental and medical speciality in 72%, and in 92% of those, this is recognised by a licensing board. Training was undertaken in an academic environment in 85% (with many offering a further academic qualification) and the median length of training was 4 years. General/anatomical pathology training is mandated in 85% of programs and a common core of general sub-specialities was identified. An end of training assessment was conducted in 80% of programs with most including written, practical and oral elements. Training program directors and educational supervisors were in place in 12/16 programs and, in most, Quality Assurance of training was externally monitored. In only one country was the number of trainees linked to workforce planning. CONCLUSIONS: Training in OMFP varies across the world. However, we feel there is sufficient commonality for the development of an agreed indicative framework on education and training in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, perhaps under the auspices of the IAOP.

Improving multiple-choice questions to better assess dental student knowledge: distractor utilization in oral and maxillofacial pathology course examinations.

How many incorrect response options (known as distractors) to use in multiple-choice questions has been the source of considerable debate in the assessment literature, especially relative to influence on the likelihood of students' guessing the correct answer. This study compared distractor use by second-year dental students in three successive oral and maxillofacial pathology classes that had three different examination question formats and scoring resulting in different levels of academic performance. One class was given all multiple-choice questions; the two other were given half multiple-choice questions, with and without formula scoring, and half un-cued short-answer questions. Use by at least 1 percent of the students was found to better identify functioning distractors than higher cutoffs. The average number of functioning distractors differed among the three classes and did not always correspond to differences in class scores. Increased numbers of functioning distractors were associated with higher question discrimination and greater question difficulty. Fewer functioning distractors fostered more effective student guessing and overestimation of academic achievement. Appropriate identification of functioning distractors is essential for improving examination quality and better estimating actual student knowledge through retrospective use of formula scoring, where the amount subtracted for incorrect answers is based on the harmonic mean number of functioning distractors.