Journal of dental education
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Contribution of Haptic Simulation to Analogic Training Environment in Restorative Dentistry.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of virtual reality to the conventional analogic training environment and show the complementarity of conventional techniques and virtual reality in the learning of dental students. All 88 first-year dental students at a dental school in France in early 2019 were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (n = 45) was assigned to cavity preparations on a haptic simulator (Virteasy) and group 2 (n = 43) was assigned to conventional practical work on plastic analogue teeth (Kavo). Following three training sessions, the students in group 1 took a final exam on the same plastic analogue teeth exercise. ⋯ The simulator-trained group (group 1) had similar results to the plastic analogue-trained group (group 2) in the final test on a plastic analogue tooth. In this study, virtual reality allowed an assessment based on objective criteria and reduced the subjectivity of evaluations conducted on plastic analogue teeth. Considering the saving of supervision and teaching time as well as the material gain offered by virtual reality, the learning methods of haptic simulators are educational options that should be considered by dental educators.
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Changes in U. S. health care delivery systems and Commission on Dental Accreditation standards provide impetus for interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice, but roadmaps for engaging dental and dental hygiene faculty to incorporate IPE in a systematic manner are limited. The purpose of this report is to describe the process for creating a strategy and gathering a variety of baseline data to use for determining objectives and metrics and the subsequent development of an IPE strategic plan at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry (SOD). ⋯ Specific initiatives and activities, supporting metrics, and estimated costs were developed for each objective. The framework guided a systematic, transparent, and organized process for collecting and monitoring the evidence and directing activities. A three-year strategic plan for IPE was developed in 2017, and implementation is ongoing.
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The number of citations an article receives is an important indicator to quantify its influence in its field. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the characteristics of the 50 top-cited articles addressing dental education published in two journals dedicated to dental education (European Journal of Dental Education and Journal of Dental Education). The Web of Science database was searched to retrieve the 50 most-cited articles from the two journals in December 2018. ⋯ The most common study types were surveys (n=26) and reviews (n=10). The main themes of these top-cited articles were curriculum and learner characteristics. This bibliometric analysis can serve as a reference for recognizing studies with the most impact in the scholarship of dental education.
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Simulation may help translate didactic learning to patient care in areas such as communication skills and medical emergency management. The aims of this study were to investigate how multiple cohorts of dental students evaluated simulations utilizing standardized patients and manikins and to explore evaluations of a simulation that combined social determinants of health with oral health education. All approximately 600 second- and fourth-year dental students at one U. ⋯ Students' most frequent suggestions for improvement called for better preparation. In this study, simulations with both standardized patients and manikins led to positive evaluations as well as anticipated improvement of clinical performance. These results suggest that incorporating simulation into an already-crowded curriculum is worth it from the student perspective, especially for reinforcement of clinical skills not easily amenable to classroom instruction.
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This case report describes a Teaching Honors Program (THP) at the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and presents findings from an outcomes assessment covering the initial 11 years of the program. The program goals are to enhance dental students' awareness of academic career options, promote student and faculty collaboration on educational development projects, and provide students with training in teacher toolkit skills to increase their readiness for peer teaching during dental school and faculty roles early in their careers. The THP curriculum consists of six core courses and nine electives extending across the four years of dental school. ⋯ Positive outcomes were found in multiple layers of the assessment hierarchy. In 2016, 51% of students participated in the THP, and 31 graduated with Distinction in Dental Education; in 2017, 50% participated, and 44 graduated with that honor. THP students provide approximately 1,400 hours of supervised peer teaching annually in the predoctoral curriculum and pre-matriculation programs, and 21% of the initial 106 THP graduates entered academic dentistry soon after graduation.