Laboratory Quality Assurance in the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate data collected in University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry (UIC COD) laboratory quality assurance (QA) forms, analyze the collected data, and create a report of the findings. The goals of the study were to (1) identify the most common mistakes occurring during laboratory and clinical procedures when performing prosthodontic treatment, (2) note the incidence and trends of mistakes made by D3, D4, and IDDP2 students, and (3) observe any differences in the types of mistakes made by D3, D4, and IDDP2. QA data from June 1, 2007 to May 31, 2009 were evaluated based on forms gathered from the QA dental laboratory from all D3, D4, and IDDP2 students' submissions. All students had graduated from the UIC COD at the time of collection. Data were recorded for type of errors made in submission of laboratory work (Indirect Restorations [IR], Removable Partial Dentures [RPD], Complete Dentures [CD]), year of student in dental school (D3, D4, IDDP2), and frequency of rejection for each respective student. The frequency of common mistakes were pooled, evaluated, and reported by respective class year. The five most common laboratory submission errors for D3, D4, and IDDP2 students were nearly the same among student years for IR, RPD, and CD. D4 students had disproportionately higher numbers of work rejections compared to D3 and IDDP2 students. D4 students had a higher percentage of laboratory submission errors compared to D3 students for all laboratory procedures. There were similar types of errors noted between foreign-trained students (IDDP2) and domestically trained students (D3, D4).