Evaluation of the Application of Undergraduate Pre-Clinical Removable Prosthodontic Laboratory Teaching in General Dental Practice

Abstract

Background: Pre-clinical removable prosthodontic training is an integral part of undergraduate curriculum. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the application of pre-clinical removable prosthodontic laboratory training in general dental practice and relevance of its teaching in undergraduate curriculum. Methods: A descriptive questionnaire was developed to assess the extent of practice of pre-clinical removable prosthodontic lab skills in their dental practice. The responses were evaluated and statistically analyzed with a significance value of p<0.05. Three hundred-fifty-seven general dental practitioners participated in the study. Results: 91% with 20 years of dental practice responded positively on the application of prosthodontic training in their practice. 55.7% with two years of training agreed to dedicate more time to clinical prosthodontics training. Conclusions: 52.9% of the respondents agreed that it would be better to dedicate more time on clinical prosthodontics training rather than pre-clinical removable prosthodontics lab training as a part of the undergraduate prosthodontic curriculum, among which more than 60% of the study participants had two or more years of removable prosthodontics pre-clinical training during dental school. Practical implications: Clinical expertise of dental graduate is an essential component in the general dental practice. Hence, there is a need to revisit removable prosthodontic curriculum content and time distribution in undergraduate dental program.