• Luisa F Echeto, Venita Sposetti, Gail Childs, Maria L Aguilar, Linda S Behar-Horenstein, Luis Rueda, and Arthur Nimmo.
• Dr. Echeto is Clinical Associate Professor and Director, Division of Prosthodontics and Predoctoral Prosthodontics Program, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry; Dr. Sposetti is Associate Dean for Education and Associate Professor, Division of Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry; Ms. Childs is Associate in Dentistry and Director of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Florida College of Dentistry; Dr. Aguilar is Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry; Dr. Behar-Horenstein is Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor, Department of Educational Administration and Policy, University of Florida School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education and Affiliate Professor, Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida College of Dentistry; Dr. Rueda is Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry; and Dr. Nimmo is Professor, Division of Prosthodontics, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry. lecheto@dental.ufl.edu.
• J Dent Educ. 2015 Sep 1; 79 (9): 1040-8.

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) methodology on dental students' retention of knowledge regarding removable partial denture (RPD) treatment. The process of learning RPD treatment requires that students first acquire foundational knowledge and then use critical thinking skills to apply that knowledge to a variety of clinical situations. The traditional approach to teaching, characterized by a reliance on lectures, is not the most effective method for learning clinical applications. To address the limitations of that approach, the teaching methodology of the RPD preclinical course at the University of Florida was changed to TBL, which has been shown to motivate student learning and improve clinical performance. A written examination was constructed to compare the impact of TBL with that of traditional teaching regarding students' retention of knowledge and their ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treatment plan a partially edentulous patient with an RPD prosthesis. Students taught using traditional and TBL methods took the same examination. The response rate (those who completed the examination) for the class of 2013 (traditional method) was 94% (79 students of 84); for the class of 2014 (TBL method), it was 95% (78 students of 82). The results showed that students who learned RPD with TBL scored higher on the examination than those who learned RPD with traditional methods. Compared to the students taught with the traditional method, the TBL students' proportion of passing grades was statistically significantly higher (p=0.002), and 23.7% more TBL students passed the examination. The mean score for the TBL class (0.758) compared to the conventional class (0.700) was statistically significant with a large effect size, also demonstrating the practical significance of the findings. The results of the study suggest that TBL methodology is a promising approach to teaching RPD with successful outcomes.

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