Undergraduate experience of clinical procedures in paediatric dentistry in a UK dental school during 1997-2001.

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the clinical experience of undergraduate students in paediatric dentistry. This was a prospective study in a clinic teaching paediatric dentistry to undergraduates within a UK dental school. Students who graduated between 1997 and 2001 at King's Dental Institute, London, were required to complete a quantitative record of their clinical activity. The mean undergraduate intake for the 5-year period was 58. Thirty-six (36) sessions each of 2-2 1/2 h duration were available in the course for the clinical treatment of children (one half day per week), a total of 81 h. The undergraduates assessed and planned treatment for 13.4 patients, 3.6 emergency patients and administered 10.4 local analgesics. The mean number of inhalation sedation administrations increased (1.5-3.3) per student during the 5-year period. The mean number of procedures performed by undergraduates for primary teeth was 8.1 restorations in glass ionomer or compomer and 1.9 in amalgam, 1.6 pulpotomies and 0.2 preformed crowns. The mean number of procedures for permanent teeth was 24.5 fissure sealants, 2.6 preventive resin restorations, 1.5 amalgams, 1.7 composites, 1.4 incisal edge restorations and 0.8 root canal treatments. For permanent teeth, the trend was towards an increase in the number of preventive resin restorations (1.9-2.8) and composite restorations (1.4-1.9) but a decrease in the number of amalgam restorations (2.1-0.9) during the 5-year period. Individual students' clinical experience was very variable. Procedures that were performed more than 10 times were experienced by every student. A procedure performed on average two to four times within a year group would be experienced by only 80-90% of the group and less frequently performed procedures would only have been experienced by a minority of graduates. A large number of patients failed to attend or cancelled appointments representing a loss of 21 h of clinical treatment time per student, about 25% of the total time available for the treatment of children in the clinical course.