Journal of dental education
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Impact of Technique-Specific Operative Videos on First-Year Dental Students' Performance of Restorative Procedures.
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of psychomotor operative video demonstrations on first-year dental students who are performing specific procedures for the first time in a preclinical setting. The class was randomly divided into two groups, and three restorative procedures were selected. On the date on which each procedure was to be performed in the preclinical laboratory for the first time, one group (experimental, n=50) was shown a technique video for that specific procedure immediately before commencing the exercise; the control cohort (n=50) did not view the video. ⋯ A chi-square test of questionnaire responses revealed a positive student perception of administering these videos for the preparation (X(2)=4.8, p<0.03), the amalgam restoration (X(2)=12.4, p<0.001), and the composite restoration (X(2)=11.3, p<0.001). The psychomotor video demonstrations did not immediately improve student performance on preclinical operative procedures, but they were well received by students and augmented self-assessment ability. These findings suggest that videos can be a useful teaching aid in a preclinical environment, especially regarding comprehension of concepts.
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Medical emergencies can occur at any time in the dental office, so being prepared to properly manage the situation can be the difference between life and death. The entire dental team must be properly trained regarding all aspects of emergency management in the dental clinic. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new educational approach using a high-fidelity simulator to prepare dental hygiene students for medical emergencies. ⋯ The results indicated that learning with simulation was effective in helping the students identify the medical emergency in a timely manner, implement emergency procedures correctly, locate and correctly utilize contents of the emergency kit, administer appropriate intervention/treatment for a specific patient, and provide the patient with appropriate follow-up instructions. For dental hygiene programs seeking to enhance their curricula in the area of medical emergencies, this study suggests that HFS is an effective tool to prepare students to appropriately handle medical emergencies. Faculty calibration is essential to standardize simulation.
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The aims of this study were to describe the processes used to train dental faculty members in case-based learning (CBL) and to determine their beliefs about the anticipated implementation of CBL and perceptions of actual implementation following use of the CBL approach. Participants were dental faculty members at the University of Florida who received a four-day intensive training course in the use of CBL. Two focus groups were conducted. ⋯ The findings showed that initially the faculty members were hesitant and uncertain about using CBL. Following implementation, those issues dissipated, as the participants began to consider how to optimize the effectiveness of CBL as a legitimate method for fostering student ownership of learning and active participation. Understanding what CBL means for individual educators at varying stages of change will likely allow the dental education community to better anticipate and address tensions and challenges that faculty members are likely to experience.
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Comparative Study
Evaluation of Team-Based Learning and Traditional Instruction in Teaching Removable Partial Denture Concepts.
The 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. ⋯ 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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Dental hygiene educators must determine which educational practices best promote critical thinking, a quality necessary to translate knowledge into sound clinical decision making. The aim of this small pilot study was to determine whether virtual patient simulation had an effect on the critical thinking of dental hygiene students. A pretest-posttest design using the Health Science Reasoning Test was used to evaluate the critical thinking skills of senior dental hygiene students at The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston Dental Hygiene Program before and after their experience with computer-based patient simulation cases. ⋯ Although the results did not show a significant increase in mean scores, the students reported feeling that the use of virtual patients was an effective teaching method to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and confidence in the clinical realm. The results of this pilot study may have implications to support the use of virtual patient simulations in dental hygiene education. Future research could include a larger controlled study to validate findings from this study.