Prosthodontics Course Research Articles

Pilot study on the effectiveness and students’ attitude towards undergraduate training provided by industry

Rapid developments in CAD/CAM technology necessitate the adaptation of curriculum content. Limited resources hinder institutions in holding state of the art equipment available for student training. A workshop given by an industry partner was organised as part of the final pre-clinical course in prosthodontics for the academic years 2015 and 2016. The workshop on dental ceramics and CAD/CAM technology comprised of lectures and practical demonstrations. Multiple-choice examinations prior to and after the workshop as well as questionnaires were used for assessing effectiveness and students' perception. The test scores and evaluation results were compared using Fisher's exact test of homogeneity (α=0.05). The workshop improved students' performance in the written examination. With the exception of 1 question, students having attended the workshop performed significantly better (P<.05). The majority of students felt that the workshop fostered their knowledge in the field of dental ceramics and CAD/CAM. Whilst only a small portion (<10%) disapproved industry-supported education, up to 45% of the participants considered the workshop as sales promotion. The students were undecided on whether or not competitor companies should be invited to present on the same topic and whether or not more industry-supported courses would be beneficial. Industry-supported education appears to be a necessity in the field of CAD/CAM dentistry, but care has to be taken to select adequate partners, and the content of courses has to be controlled.

Benefits of Case-Based versus Traditional Lecture-Based Instruction in a Preclinical Removable Prosthodontics Course

Benefits of Case-Based versus Traditional Lecture-Based Instruction in a Preclinical Removable Prosthodontics Course

Predicting Performance in Technical Preclinical Dental Courses Using Advanced Simulation

The aim of this study was to investigate whether advanced simulation parameters, such as simulation exam scores, number of student self-evaluations, time to complete the simulation, and time to complete self-evaluations, served as predictors of dental students' preclinical performance. Students from three consecutive classes (n=282) at one U.S. dental school completed advanced simulation training and exams within the first four months of their dental curriculum. The students then completed conventional preclinical instruction and exams in operative dentistry (OD) and fixed prosthodontics (FP) courses, taken during the first and second years of dental school, respectively. Two advanced simulation exam scores (ASES1 and ASES2) were tested as predictors of performance in the two preclinical courses based on final course grades. ASES1 and ASES2 were found to be predictors of OD and FP preclinical course grades. Other advanced simulation parameters were not significantly related to grades in the preclinical courses. These results highlight the value of an early psychomotor skills assessment in dentistry. Advanced simulation scores may allow early intervention in students' learning process and assist in efficient allocation of resources such as faculty coverage and tutor assignment.

MCQ-construction improves Quality of Essay Assessment among undergraduate dental students

A well-constructed essay is indicative of deep strategic understanding and is considered a valid assessment tool in many dental schools. It has been suggested that constructing MCQs could be an effective learning tool for students while at the same time contribute towards a pool of well-constructed MCQs that could stand up to scrutiny at high-stakes examinations. This study aimed to compare the quality of essays written by students trained and untrained in MCQ construction. The null hypothesis was that construction of MCQs did not result in higher grades achieved in “closed-book” time-limited assessment conditions. A Test cohort (n=48) of undergraduate dental students were taught and constructed MCQs during their preclinical prosthodontics course. The Control cohort (n=48) consisted of students who underwent the same course 1 year prior. The same question was administered to both cohorts without the students׳ knowledge. Answers were de-identified and randomized for grading by a blinded expert prosthodontic examiner not involved in the teaching of the students. Based on a passing grade of 50 and a maximum grade of 100, the Test cohort exhibited significantly improved essay quality, scoring a mean grade of 73.0±8.0, compared to a mean grade of 63.6±11.8 achieved by the control cohort (p<0.001). The null hypothesis was rejected. Under the conditions of this double-blind study, MCQ-construction resulted in better essays written by students under examination conditions.

Comparison between flipped classroom and team-based learning in fixed prosthodontic education

PurposeWe previously investigated the effects of team-based learning (TBL) on fixed prosthodontic education and reported that TBL could have higher efficiency with high student satisfaction than traditional lecture. In the current report, we introduced flipped classroom to the fixed prosthodontic education and compared their effectiveness based on the final examination score in addition to TBL. MethodsParticipants were 41 students from Tokushima University School of Dentistry who attended a fixed prosthodontics course. The first six classes adopted the flipped classroom style while the latter eight classes adopted TBL. To evaluate the relationship between learning styles and their effectiveness, we compared results from the term-end examination between the curriculum covered by flipped classroom and TBL-style classes. To draw comparisons, a referential examination with the same questions was conducted to eight faculty members who had not attended any of these classes. ResultsTerm-end examination results showed that TBL classes had slightly higher scores than flipped classroom classes. Referential examination results also showed higher scores for the same curriculum and no significant interaction was found between class formats and the term-end and referential examination scores. Analysis revealed no noticeable difference in the effectiveness of the class formats. ConclusionOur previous study reported that TBL had higher efficiency than traditional style lecture. In the current study, there was no statistical difference in the examination score between flipped classroom and TBL. Therefore, we conclude that both styles are highly effective than traditional style lecture and constitute valid formats for clinical dental education.

COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN FACULTY AND STUDENT ASSESSMENTS OF IMPRESSIONS MADE BY UNDERGRADUATES

Objective: Competency-based curricula aim to equip students with sufficient skills to enable them to deliver dental care safely. Assessment represents an essential component of a successful competency-based educational experience. This study investigated faculty and self-assessment of impressions, the cornerstones for any prosthodontic treatment, made by dental students in their first clinical prosthodontic course. Methods: 237 “first-attempt” preliminary impressions (115 maxillary; 122 mandibular) were assessed by 2 calibrated professional faculty and self-assessed by the students themselves. Assessment was based on specific clearly-defined criteria and a 3-level rating rubric: 0(non-acceptable); 1(acceptable); 2(ideal). Faculty assessed the impressions independently then together to agree on its acceptability. Impressions were counted acceptable when at-least 1 was scored for all criteria and students were considered competent in this clinical skill. Comparison between faculty scores and between faculty and self-assessment scores were statistically analyzed (P< 0.05). Results: Based on faculty assessment, out of the 237 impressions; 2.5% (4 maxillary; 2 mandibular) were ideal, 62.45% (80 maxillary; 68 mandibular) were acceptable and 35% (31 maxillary; 52 mandibular) were unacceptable. Tray selection and border thickness were the most identified defective criteria. Inter-assessor agreement exceeded 95% in most criteria. There were statistically significant differences between faculty and student self-assessment scores with the latter giving higher scores. Conclusions: Students, in their first clinical course, usually require more than one attempt to make acceptable impressions. Competency was higher for maxillary impressions. Clearly-defined criteria and rubric-based assessment resulted in satisfactory agreement levels between assessors. Undergraduate students, at this educational level, tend to over-rate their work.

Dental Students’ Perceived Preparedness to Treat Patients in Clinic After a Fixed Prosthodontics Course: Survey Results of a Case Study

Previous research regarding dental students has found modest predictive value in preclinical didactic course grades in predicting clinical performance, but systematic assessment of students' feedback on their perceived preparedness has received little attention as a preclinical assessment methodology. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of the dental students at one U.S. academic dental institution regarding their preparedness for clinical performance following the preclinical fixed prosthodontics course. Third- and fourth-year dental students participated in a survey about their perceived preparedness to diagnose and treat patients with fixed prosthodontics needs in the school's dental clinics. The respondents (79 out of 161 students, for a response rate of 49%) rated each item on a five-point Likert scale. Responses about which preclinical procedures of the course prepared students the least and the best were consistent for the third- and fourth-year students. Less than 60% of all responding students felt prepared for planning complex cases and performing laboratory-related procedures. The findings of this study indicate that improvement is required in teaching students about laboratory procedures and problem-solving to adequately prepare them for clinical treatment of patients with fixed prosthodontics needs.

Effects of Team‐Based Learning on Fixed Prosthodontic Education in a Japanese School of Dentistry

The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of team-based learning (TBL) in prosthodontics education for fourth-year dental students at Tokushima University School of Dentistry and to compare this teaching method with traditional lecture-based delivery. Participants in the study were 36 students (22 males and 14 females) who attended the TBL-style fixed prosthodontics course. Ten 60-minute classes were held. The first three were traditional lecture-style classes and were followed by one class introducing the TBL style. The remaining six classes constituted the TBL-format fixed prosthodontics course. The effectiveness of TBL was evaluated through student questionnaires at the end of each class and the results of the term-end examination. The questionnaire revealed high student approval for TBL-style learning, and active group discussion among students during TBL was a key factor in these ratings. In the results of the term-end examination, there were significantly higher scores on the questions that covered TBL-taught material than those covering traditional lecture-taught topics. The results of this study suggest that TBL-style lecture was more effective than traditional-style lecture for teaching fixed prosthodontics and that TBL was a more efficient mode of delivering dental education than traditional lecture-based teaching.

Dental Students’ Perceived Preparedness to Treat Patients in Clinic After a Fixed Prosthodontics Course: Survey Results of a Case Study

Dental Students’ Perceived Preparedness to Treat Patients in Clinic After a Fixed Prosthodontics Course: Survey Results of a Case Study

Reliability of Examiners' Evaluations of Oral Presentations in Fixed Prosthodontics

This study assessed the inter-examiner variability on student scores when assessing oral presentations in Fixed Prosthodontics course. Oral presentations of fifth-year dental students were randomly selected. Students presented their topic within 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of detailed personal feedback and group discussion. Three senior faculty members participated in the evaluation session based on predefined criteria. Four levels of grading for rating presentation as highly acceptable, acceptable, marginally acceptable, or unacceptable were used. The scoring patterns of the evaluators were statistically analyzed using Friedman's test. The study revealed significant differences among the mean rank scores of the evaluators (P=0.001) for all criteria. Moreover, the mean rank scores of the 3 evaluators for the total value of all criteria were significantly different (P=0.001). The pairwise comparison test showed significant difference between each pair of evaluators (P=0.001) for all criteria. However, the difference was not significant for the first and the third evaluators for the second criteria (P=0.238). There was significant difference between each pair of evaluators (P=0.001) for the total value of all criteria.

An investigation of complete denture teaching in the UK: part 1. A survey of undergraduate teaching

This paper is the first in a series of two that investigate the undergraduate teaching of complete dentures in the UK. A questionnaire was sent by email to 13 UK dental schools enquiring about the number of hours spent in the lecture theatre, laboratory and clinic. The schools were also asked to give their views about the preparedness of the new graduates for dealing with complete dentures in general practice. There was great disparity between schools in the overall number of lectures delivered. Two schools claimed 28 hours and the remainder varied between 6-15 hours. Four schools devoted more time to laboratory work whereas three schools spent more time in the clinic. One school reported no dedicated clinical time for complete dentures. There appears to be a regional variation with northern UK dental schools spending more time on the teaching of complete dentures. The quota for complete dentures varied from three in most schools to eight in one school and none in another. Comments from the dental schools varied from a reported lack of suitable complete denture cases, to concerns with insufficient curricular time devoted to the subject and a subsequent lack of clinical competence on graduation. Some schools have integrated complete denture teaching into the general prosthodontic course as it is considered inappropriate to teach different aspects of prosthetics in isolation. Competence in complete dentures falls short of what is expected. With a single exception all the schools seem to have low expectations for their undergraduate students to be practically trained and experienced in the production of complete dentures. Despite the advent of implants and the introduction of clinical dental technicians, there is and will continue to be a need for the competent treatment of the edentulous population by general practitioners.

Fabrication of Provisional Restoration Using Direct Technique

OPEN ACCESSDecember 6, 2011Fabrication of Provisional Restoration Using Direct Technique Mercedes Porter, DDS, Rainer Adarve, DDS, MS, MHPE Mercedes Porter, DDS University of Minnesota School of Dentistry - Division of Prosthodontics Google Scholar More articles by this author , Rainer Adarve, DDS, MS, MHPE University of Minnesota School of Dentistry - Restorative Sciences Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9055 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractAbstractDental students learning fixed prosthodontics should have the conceptual understanding and procedural skills that allow them to prepare teeth for full coverage restorations and also to fabricate provisional restorations for these teeth. Fabrication of a provisional restoration is a clinical skill that a dental student should be able to demonstrate. This resource provides a stepwise approach to learning how to fabricate provisional restorations for full gold and porcelain fused to metal crowns. Faculty can use this module as an adjunct to their teaching. The module can provide faculty members who have different teaching styles with a consistent method of making provisional restorations that achieve desirable results and meet the evaluation criteria. This module is used by dental students in a preclinical setting. It is intended to allow self-guided and self-paced instruction with or without the assistance of faculty. In order for the module to be employed, students should be proficient in the fundamentals, principles, and skills involved in preparing typodont teeth for full coverage restorations. This resource should be thoroughly reviewed before beginning the restoration fabrication procedures and should be followed step-by-step to achieve the goals of successful provisional fabrication. The purposes of each characteristic of an ideal restoration should be reviewed and learned prior to fabrication so that the evaluation criteria can be used effectively. This resource has been utilized in the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry preclinical Fixed Prosthodontic course for the past 2 years. Students are given a lecture about this procedure and then allowed to use this resource during their preclinical laboratory time to fabricate provisional restorations. This resource is supplemented by faculty feedback; however, this feedback time can be more effectively spent addressing specific questions and/or pitfalls rather than setting up and providing live demonstrations. Students appreciate having detailed, step-by-step instructions to follow even in the absence of faculty. Educational Objectives By the end of this module, learners will be able to: Describe the steps in fabricating a provisional restoration using direct technique.Manipulate materials such as Exaflex putty matrix material and Protemp provisional material.Fabricate provisional restoration using direct technique.Mix putty and fabricate matrix.Prepare and dispense Protemp provisional material.Fill putty matrix with Protemp, place onto typodont tooth, and remove putty matrix.Trim, polish, and evaluate provisional restoration. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Instructor's Guide.pdf Fabrication of Provisional Restoration Using Direct Technique.pdf To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. Copyright & Permissions© 2011 Porter and Adarve. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.KeywordsFull Gold CrownPorcelain Fused to Metal RestorationProvisional Fabrication Direct TechniqueCrownsRestoration Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...

Dental Students’ Ability to Evaluate Themselves in Fixed Prosthodontics

Self-evaluation is an essential skill for dental professionals for lifelong learning and improvement through the course of their careers. Students taking a preclinical fixed prosthodontics course were studied. The students were asked to assign themselves a grade upon completion of their timed preparation examination (teeth preparations and provisional restorations), and these were compared with grades given by the faculty. The poorer performing students tended to be less critical with their examination and to overrate their performance whereas the higher performing students were more critical of themselves and underrated their performance.

Cast Removable Partial Denture Rubric

Abstract This resource is a rubric designed for a preclinical removable partial denture prosthodontics course that consists of weekly lectures followed by laboratory sessions. The rubric consists o...

Predoctoral dental implant education at King Abdulaziz University

In June 2008, a survey of freshly graduated dental students of King Abdulaziz University Jeddah was conducted to evaluate the extent of their exposure to oral implantology and their knowledge of some basic principles of dental implant treatment. Multiple-choice questionnaires were given to the fresh graduate dental students of King Abdulaziz University Jeddah to answer. Sixty-six students responded out of 86, yielding a response rate of 76.7%. Majority of the students (78.8%) thought that they did not have enough lectures about dental implants and all of them thought that they did not have enough training in dental implant. Most of the students were not familiar with different dental implant systems (61.1%), designs (60.6%) or sizes (74.2%). Majority of the students were lacking the knowledge about basic principles of dental implant treatment. At King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry, implant dentistry is taught to the students in the form of implant-related lectures incorporated into their periodontic, oral surgery and prosthodontic courses with one or two lectures given on dental implant in each course. There is an urgent need to develop a well-structured implant course that includes didactic, laboratory, preclinical and clinical components at the undergraduate curriculum of King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry.

Who Is Teaching Undergraduate Prosthodontics in US Dental Schools, 2007?

The shortage of full-time dental school faculty along with a slow steady increase in student enrollment is not a new phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to determine who is teaching undergraduate prosthodontics in US dental schools-what percent are full-time faculty; what percent are prosthodontists; and what percent are board-certified prosthodontists-to allow schools to make a real-time comparison of the composition of instructors they have teaching prosthodontics to the apparent status quo. A short, ten-question survey was sent via e-mail to representatives at the 55 undergraduate US dental schools. A cover letter explained the nature of the study and requested participation and electronic return of the survey. Three weeks after the initial request, an aggressive follow-up was conducted to schools that had not returned the survey. Answers were converted to percentages to compensate for differences between schools with many or few instructors. Schools were also grouped by location to see if regional differences exist. Thirty-eight (69%) of the surveys were completed and returned. In general, the division between full-time and part-time instructors is about 50%. More removable prosthodontic instructors (60%) than fixed instructors (44%) are prosthodontists, and only a small percentage of the total (18% removable and 15% fixed) have completed board certification. The South and Midwest had the highest percentage of prosthodontists involved in teaching; the South had the highest percentage with specialty board certification. This study indicated that only a few schools are fortunate enough to have sufficient full-time, specialty-trained faculty available for complete coverage of all undergraduate prosthodontic courses and clinics. The information presented serves as a baseline for future comparison to see if the percentage of full-time and/or specialty-certified prosthodontic faculty changes.

Effect of Dental Students as Instructors on Preclinical Performance in Prosthodontics

Dental schools continue to have difficulty recruiting and retaining faculty. One approach to augment student learning would be to train and utilize senior dental students as instructors in preclinical courses. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of using senior dental students as instructors on the performance of second-year students in two preclinical prosthodontic courses. In the spring term of 2007, four senior dental students and four or five full-time faculty were assigned as instructors for the fixed prosthodontics and complete denture prosthodontics preclinical courses. Each course has previously been conducted with a total of seven to nine faculty instructors. The performance of two groups of second-year students on preclinical projects was compared based upon their source of instruction for the project. The scores for the two groups were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum tests and the corresponding 95 percent confidence intervals for the median difference in scores for the two instructor types. This study found no significant difference in performance between sophomore students instructed by full-time faculty or those instructed by senior dental students in either the fixed or removable prosthodontics preclinical courses (p>.05). The use of senior dental students as instructors in the preclinical prosthodontics courses may be one option to partially address the shortage of full-time dental faculty.

Introducing dental students to clinical patient care: the Complete Denture Prosthodontics Transition Clinic.

Using complete denture treatment as an introduction to clinical patient care for dental students, the purposes of the Complete Denture Prosthodontics Transition Clinic at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry are to reduce the time lapse between the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course and the first denture patient experience, and to encourage development of student self-confidence and skills. In the 2002 spring semester, faculty at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry initiated the Complete Denture Prosthodontics Transition Clinic for DS-II (second-year) dental students, as an introduction to clinical patient care. Each patient was assigned to a team of two dental students. Three Division of Prosthodontics faculty members staffed each clinic session, providing a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 6.6:1 and a patient-to-faculty ratio of approximately 3.3:1. All DS-II students in the Class of 2004 delivered their first complete dentures no later than 8 months (average, 184 days) after the last day of the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course. The time from the diagnostic appointment through the denture placement appointment averaged 39 days for patients treated in this program, compared with an average of 98 days or more for previous classes. The program was successful in achieving the goal of reducing the time lapse between the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course and the first denture patient experience.

A Comparison of Student Performance in a Simulation Clinic and a Traditional Laboratory Environment: Three‐Year Results

With simulation clinics, dental schools have improved their preclinical laboratories to provide a more realistic clinical teaching environment. However, there is very little data to support the assumption that these facilities actually improve student performance of technical skills. This study compared the scores of two fixed preparations for full cast crowns by third-year dental students. One of the preparations was made in the simulation clinic manikin, and the other was prepared on the bench top. Three prosthodontic faculty members scored the preparations in the areas of occlusal reduction, axial reduction, resistance and retention, and margination. The study also compared the performance of three classes of dental students: one class with no experience in the simulation clinic, one with one year of experience, and one with two years of experience. The amount of time since completing the fixed prosthodontics course among the students was also evaluated. This was done because the third-year students at the University of Iowa rotate through a series often-week clerkships rather than a comprehensive care model. (Therefore, not all students start clinical prosthodontics at the same time.) In addition, all student participants completed a questionnaire that addressed their perception of their clinical readiness prior to treating their first fixed prosthodontic patient. When we compared the classes of years 1, 2, and 3 by average preparation score, we found a significant difference among the scores for teeth prepared on the bench top (p = 0.0001) but not for the teeth prepared in the mannequin (p = 0.1176). For Year 1 (no simulation clinic experience), the amount of elapsed time following completion of the fixed prosthodontic course was not significant for the tooth prepared on the bench top or in the manikin (p = 0.57113 and 0.0661). For Year 2 (one year of simulation clinic experience), the elapsed time following completion of the fixed prosthodontic course was significant for the tooth prepared on the bench top (p = 0.0482), but it was not significant for the tooth prepared in the manikin (p = 0.2968). For Year 3 (two years of simulation clinic experience), the amount of elapsed time following completion of the fixed prosthodontic course was not significant for the tooth prepared on the bench top or in the manikin (p = 0.7275 and 0.6007). The questionnaire revealed that, in general, the majority of the students perceived their clinical readiness as more than adequate. These results are mixed in that students with more bench top experience scored better on the bench top, and students with more manikin experience scored equally in both environments.

The dental student as a technician: preclinical and clinical laboratory programs in fixed prosthodontics.

A 2-part survey of United States dental schools was conducted. The first part of the survey was published in 1998 and determined the curricular structure, techniques taught, and materials used in predoctoral fixed prosthodontics courses. The purpose of the second part of the survey was to ascertain the delegation of laboratory procedures in preclinical and clinical fixed prosthodontic programs. The survey was mailed to the course directors of predoctoral fixed prosthodontic programs at 53 US dental schools. Of these, 42 schools returned the completed survey, resulting in a response rate of 79%. Results from this survey show that certain laboratory procedures in preclinical and clinical fixed prosthodontics are completed by dental laboratories (either in-house or commercially available laboratories). For the preclinical programs of fixed prosthodontics, there is more student involvement in the completion of laboratory procedures in the dental schools surveyed. In clinical fixed prosthodontic programs, there is a high emphasis on patient care and less on laboratory techniques that can be delegated to laboratory technicians.