Journal of Dental Education最新文献

Background: Dental education aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to competently manage clinical scenarios. It is critical that dental education evolves with technological advances to ensure quality student preparation. New technologies such as three-dimensional printing (3DP) have found their way into dental education and could overcome the limitations of traditional methods. The question arises: Is 3DP suitable to replace the current conventional educational modalities in preclinical dental education?

Methods: A review of the current literature was conducted in September 2024 to identify the use of 3DP models in various dental disciplines for predoctoral education. The outcomes of the retrieved records were analyzed as subjective measurements or objective assessments by the participants.

Results: The initial search yielded 776 articles, of which 24 studies were eventually considered for qualitative synthesis. The dental disciplines in which 3DP was used in preclinical education were operative dentistry, prosthodontics, endodontics, maxillofacial surgery, and pediatric dentistry, with a maximum of seven studies in operative dentistry and a minimum of one in pediatric dentistry. In all studies, 3DP models were used in comparison to conventional typodonts, human-extracted teeth, cadaver models, or virtual reality simulators, as dictated by the university's curriculum.

Conclusions: 3DP models can benefit preclinical education by creating different case scenarios that resemble real-life situations. They also offer greater availability and cost-effectiveness. However, further research and material development is needed to improve the tactile sensation of the models to better resemble dental tissues.

Background: Herbal medicine has a long history of traditional use, but its integration into modern dentistry faces barriers like insufficient evidence and knowledge.

Objective: This is the first study of its kind in Syria that aimed to assess the knowledge and perspectives of future dentists regarding the use of medicinal plants in dental practice, their benefits, and their side effects.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 323 Syrian dental students to evaluate their awareness, attitudes, knowledge sources, and experiences with herbal medicine.

Results: 99.1% recognized herbs can serve as medicine, but only 47.4% had prior usage, with efficacy unclear. Most (86.4%) agreed plants are important in dentistry and 83% knew of interactions with traditional drugs. The internet, elders, and lectures were key knowledge sources. Rural students and prior herb users had greater awareness of applications. 83.9% were interested in learning more, and 72.1% supported integrating herbal medicine courses. The main barriers were a lack of scientific evidence and education.

Conclusions: Syrian students demonstrated good knowledge about herbal medicine and the risks of its random usage strongly support integrating evidence-based herbal medicine into dentistry. However, efficacy and safety knowledge gaps currently limit practical application. Targeted research, formal training, and clinical guidance focused on beneficial plants could enable dentists to effectively advise patients on traditional interventions alongside conventional approaches.

Purpose: Two educational institutions, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences, partnered to collaborate with representatives from a state agency and organized dentistry to, with legislative support, create and implement a coordinated series of initiatives designed to increase Alabama's rural dental workforce.

Methods: This interrelated, long-term program has three primary components: (1) Rural Dental Health Scholar residential summer program for rising high school seniors; (2) Rural Dental Scholar (RDS) pathway program for dental students featuring a pre-matriculation master's curriculum; and (3) financial support by Alabama's Board of Dental Scholarships (BDS) for participation in said programs and service awards for practice in an eligible rural area following dental school.

Results: A total of 31 students have participated across all aspects of this program, and a combined total of $3.39 M directly supports program participants. Nine RDSs are pathway participants across two academic years. The inaugural Rural Dental Health Scholar program in Summer 2024 included six rising high school seniors. The BDS has successfully contracted 16 future rural dentists.

Conclusions: This multifaceted partnership across various educational, professional, and governmental entities is a much-needed intervention intended to address the worsening rural dentist crisis in Alabama. Long-term outcomes tracking will inform degree of success of these new initiatives in recruiting and retaining dentists to rural communities in need.

Objectives: The aim of the paper is to assess the effectiveness of a computer-based evaluation software for preclinical preparations and restorations when compared to traditional faculty grading/evaluation.

Methods: Forty-four Class I (#30-O) and Class II (#30-MO) preparations and Class II amalgam restorations (#31-MO) were generated in preclinical setting by first-year dental students. Calibrated faculty evaluated the preparations and restorations using a validated rubric from preclinical operative class. The preparations and restorations were scanned using Planmeca PlanScan intraoral scanner and graded using the Romexis E4D Compare Software. Each was compared against a corresponding gold standard tooth with tolerance intervals ranging from 100 to 500 µm. These scores were compared to traditional faculty grades using a linear mixed model to estimate the mean differences at 95% confidence interval for each tolerance level.

Results: The average Compare Software grade for Class I preparation at 300 µm tolerance had the smallest mean difference of 1.64 points on a 100-point scale, compared to the average faculty grade. Class II preparation at 400 µm tolerance had the smallest mean difference of 0.41 points. Finally, Class II restoration at 300 µm tolerance had the smallest mean difference at 0.20 points.

Conclusion: In this study, tolerance levels that best correlated the Compare Software grades with the faculty grades were determined for three operative procedures: Class I preparation, Class II preparation, and Class II restoration. This Compare Software can be used as a valuable adjunct method for grading of student preparations and restorations. It also provides a practical tool for students to self-evaluate their preclinical operative procedures.

Objectives: This qualitative study explored the instructors' perspectives on the clinical performance of internationally trained dentists (ITD) as dental students, focusing on strengths, limitations, and recommendations for improvement.

Methods: Qualitative description guided the study design. Participants were full-time clinical instructors involved in delivering the DDS Advanced Placement program in the School of Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Instructors were purposefully selected using maximum variation sampling. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews via Zoom, and analyzed using inductive, manifest content analysis in which categories and sub-categories were developed to account for the relevant data. Strategies to ensure methodological rigor included selecting information-rich participants and ensuring that the chosen research methods align with the research objective and are followed as expected.

Results: Twelve instructors were interviewed; three were males and nine females ranging in age from 30 to 70 years. The study unveiled notable strengths such as the enthusiasm and dedication of ITD students. Instructors emphasized the need for tailored skill development and cultural competence among ITD students. Areas for improvement included a lack of clinical skills such as composite tooth preparation, hand skills and radiographic interpretation, and habit modification from previous training. Instructors recommended conducting a comprehensive initial assessment, integrating ITD students earlier into the program, tailoring preclinical sessions to address ITD students' learning needs, and providing ongoing cultural training.

Conclusion: Qualifying dental programs are encouraged to comprehensibly and continuously assess the clinical performance of ITD students to provide the support they need throughout their training. The effectiveness and feasibility of instructors' recommendations to improve these programs remain to be elucidated. Data from these efforts will be crucial in correcting and refining educational strategies and support systems.

Objectives: Dentists commonly encounter patients with complex medical comorbidities that require an advanced level of competence in the art of prescription writing. However, the current structure of dental education often places limited emphasis on this critical skill. This study aimed to develop and validate an innovative teaching module designed to enhance prescription-writing skills for dental students, with a specific focus on patients with medical comorbid conditions.

Methods: This study was completed in two phases. In phase 1, an interprofessional education (IPE) designed comprehensive teaching module was created. The topics included in this teaching module were medical comorbidities, drug interactions, and best prescription practices. The developed teaching module's face and content were validated, and the item- content validity index (I-CVI) was computed. In phase 2, the teaching module was tested among 48 dental students as part of a randomized controlled trial.

Results: A pool of eight items addressing different aspects related to prescription writing were validated in dental students. All the eight items reached an I-CVI for relevance and structure of ≥0.8. In phase 2, the intervention group, exposed to the teaching module on skill development of prescription writing, showed a statistically significant increase in their prescription-writing skill than the control group.

Conclusion: The introduction of a teaching module aimed at developing prescriptions for medical co-morbidities could substantially improve the prescription writing abilities of dental students.