A Sex-Specific Evaluation on Dental Students' Ability to Perform Subgingival Debridement: A Randomized Trial.

Abstract

A successful periodontitis treatment demands good manual skills. A correlation between biological sex and dental students' manual dexterity is currently unknown. This study examines performance differences between male and female students within subgingival debridement. A total of 75 third-year dental students was divided by biological sex (male/female) and randomly assigned to one of two work methods (manual curettes, n=38; power-driven instruments, n=37). Students were trained on periodontitis models for 25 min daily over 10 days using the assigned manual or power-driven instrument. Practical training included subgingival debridement of all tooth types on phantom heads. Practical exams were performed after the training session (T1) and after 6 month (T2) and comprised subgingival debridement of four teeth within 20 min. The percentage of debrided root surface was assessed and statistically analyzed using a linear mixed-effects regression model (P<.05). The analysis is based on 68 students (both groups n=34). The percentage of cleaned surfaces was not significantly different (P=.397) between male (mean 81.6, SD 18.2) and female (mean 76.3, SD 21.1) students, irrespective of the instrument employed. The use of power-driven instruments (mean 81.3, SD 20.5) led to significantly better results than the use of manual curettes (mean 75.4, SD 19.4; P=.023) and the overall performance decreased over time (T1: mean 84.5, SD 17.5; T2: mean 72.3, SD 20.8; P<.001). Female and male students perform equally well in subgingival debridement. Therefore, sex-differentiated teaching methods are not necessary.