The New Zealand dental journal
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To investigate the safety and efficacy of a propofol-remifentanil target controlled infusion (TCI) sedation technique for oral surgery. ⋯ The TCI technique had a high standard of efficacy, and there were no adverse safety outcomes. Higher BMI and male sex were found to be independently associated with predictors of ODEs during oral surgery under propofol-remifentanil TCI sedation.
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This study used the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) to examine how a cohort of Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) students at the University of Otago's Faculty of Dentistry perceived their educational environment. Four DREEM questionnaires were administered over the three-year programme; a modified version at the beginning of the first year asked students what they expected their year would be like, while questionnaires at the end of each subsequent year surveyed students on their actual experiences within the BOH programme. All four questionnaires were completed by 78% of students (N=31). ⋯ Both positive and negative shifts occurred between the 'Expected' and 'Actual' individual DREEM outcomes. The difference between students' 'Expected' and 'Actual' DREEM responses indicates, in some areas, that BOH students expected more from their educational environment than what they actually experienced. The changes in BOH students' perception of their educational environment over the three years can be explained, in part, by changes in the curriculum from year to year.
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Atypical odontalgia (AO) is a chronic orofacial pain condition of unclear pathophysiology, often presenting as toothache or pain at an extraction site. Idiopathic, psychogenic, vascular, and neuropathic causes have been proposed. ⋯ The diagnosis and treatment of AO can be challenging, but can be aided by a multidisciplinary approach. Two cases of differing complexity are presented in this paper.
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Dental education is a unique form of health professional education. This is because the clinical training component largely occurs within the dental school and involves students carrying out irreversible patient interventions early in their education. Perhaps not surprisingly, previous research indicates that dental education (and particularly the clinical component) is stressful for many students. ⋯ In 2007-2009 questionnaire responses, students identified the kinds of staff feedback which they found constructive or unhelpful while working in patient clinic settings, described their responses to feedback received, and identified ways in which students' clinical learning experiences might be improved. This paper outlines 2007-2009 University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry clinical learning environment survey findings, and relates these to the literature on effective teaching and clinical teaching. It then describes programmatic changes and research initiatives developed in response to student feedback.
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Acute temporomandibular joint dislocation is an infrequent presentation to the emergency department or to dental practitioners. It may be a rare complication of dental treatment. Recurrent temporomandibular joint dislocation occurs in individuals with certain anatomical abnormalities or systemic conditions. This paper reports an unusual presentation of recurrent temporomandibular joint dislocation and outlines some of the surgical techniques used in managing this condition.