Journal of dental education
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Comparative Study
Utilizing self-assessment software to evaluate student wax-ups in dental morphology.
Traditionally, evaluating student work in preclinical courses has relied on the judgment of experienced clinicians utilizing visual inspection. However, research has shown significant disagreement between different evaluators (interrater reliability) and between results from the same evaluator at different times (intrarater reliability). This study evaluated a new experimental software (E4D Compare) to compare 66 student-produced tooth wax-ups at one U. ⋯ The investigators hypothesized that the software would provide more consistent feedback than visual grading and that a tolerance value could be determined that closely correlated with the faculty grade. The results showed that a tolerance level of 450 μm provided 96% agreement of grades compared with only 53% agreement for faculty. The results suggest that this software could be used by faculty members as a mechanism to evaluate student work and for students to use as a self-assessment tool.
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Comparative Study
Adequacy of patient pools to support predoctoral students' achievement of competence in pediatric dentistry in U.S. dental schools.
The aim of this study was to characterize the current status of predoctoral pediatric dentistry patient pools in U. S. dental schools and compare their status to that in 2001. A 2014 survey of school clinic-based and community-based dental patient pools was developed, piloted, and sent to pediatric predoctoral program directors in 57 U. ⋯ The respondents reported that community-based dental education clinical sites continued to provide additional service experiences for dental students, with contributions varying by the nature of the site. A large number of the respondents felt that their graduates lacked some basic pediatric dentistry clinical skills and were not ready for independent practice with children. The results of this study suggest that the predoctoral pediatric dentistry patient pool has changed and general dentists may be graduating with inadequate experiences to practice dentistry for children.
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Comparative Study
Dental students' ability to assess their performance in a preclinical restorative course: comparison of students' and faculty members' assessments.
Dental education consists of both theoretical and practical learning for students to develop competence in treating patients clinically. When dental students encounter practical courses in their first year as a new educational experience, they must also learn to evaluate themselves. Self-evaluation is an essential skill to learn for dental professionals to keep increasing their competence over the course of their careers. ⋯ Self-evaluation scores did not indicate whether the third-year students tended to over- or underestimate the quality of their own work. However, the second-year students not only overestimated themselves but thought they were above average. The results point to the need to develop students' self-insight with more exercises and practical training.
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Comparative Study
Dental and allied dental students' attitudes towards and perceptions of intraprofessional education.
Interprofessional and intraprofessional learning opportunities in health professions education are vital to emphasize evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and cost-effectiveness in patients' oral health care. The aim of this study was to assess dental, dental hygiene, and dental assisting students' readiness for intraprofessional education and to evaluate their attitudes towards and perceptions of intraprofessional teamwork, communication, respect, and understanding of professional roles. In 2013, students at one dental school (N=247) were surveyed, and focus groups were conducted for this convergent parallel mixed-methods study. ⋯ Most (94%, N=160) of the respondents in the combined groups agreed that intraprofessional learning would help them become more effective members of the oral health care team. The three focus group sessions (N=17) revealed consistency among the groups regarding the value of an integrated clinical design and intraprofessional education. These students were eager and positive about intraprofessional learning and agreed that a shared learning model can improve communication and respect among team members, provide a better understanding of roles, and ultimately enhance patient care.