Journal of Dental Education最新文献

Purpose: To compare the educational outcomes of remote instruction (RI) in impression-taking using smart glasses with those of face-to-face instruction (FI) and paper-based self-learning (SL) and analyze the educational effects, aiming to develop a remote clinical training strategy.

Methods: Participants were recruited from among the dental residents who were trained in the first-year clinical program at the university hospital in 2023. The participants were divided into three groups as the original skill level was equal, and the groups were assigned RI, FI, printed guidance, and SL. All the participants took impressions of the jaw models attached to the mannequin using alginate impression material. Next, assigned instructions were provided. Then again, the trainees took impressions of the jaw models. The pre- and postinstruction impressions of each participant were evaluated, and the change in the impression score was statistically analyzed.

Results: The pre- and postinstruction scores of the trainees in the RI and FI groups showed a significant increase (p < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the score changes in the SL group. In the intergroup comparisons, the score changes of the RI and FI groups were greater than those of the SL group, although no significant difference was found between the score changes of the RI and FI groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: RI in impression-taking using smart glasses has a greater educational effectiveness than paper-based SL. It has also been suggested that RI can have educational efficacy similar to FI.

Objectives: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of the layered curriculum method (LCM) and project-based learning method (PBLM), on dental students in the evaluation of cysts and tumors affecting the jaws and surrounding tissues, which have an important place in dental practice.

Methods: Forty-nine 3rd-year dental students who agreed to participate in the study voluntarily were randomly divided into two groups: LCM and PBLM. Pre-test was administered to all students. Students in the PBLM group were divided into five groups and each group was asked to complete a project within a 5-week period and present it to their groupmates at the end of the period. Students in the LCM group were asked to choose the activities most suitable for their learning styles at each layer and to progress by being evaluated by educators in brief interviews throughout the learning process. At the end of the 5-week training period, a post-test and a post-participation questionnaire were administered to students in both groups to obtain feedback. The pre-test and post-test results of the groups and their answers to the post-participation questionnaire were analyzed statistically.

Results: Post-test results were statistically higher than pre-test results in both LCM and PBLM groups (p < 0.001). When the LCM and PBLM groups were compared, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of pre-test and post-test results (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Both PBLM and LCM positively contributed to pre-graduate dental education by enhancing students' academic achievements. Students in both groups stated that their research skills, study habits, and learning motivation increased. Since both models adopt the theory of multiple intelligences, similar methods are recommended for inclusion in dental education.

Objectives: In this study, we compared the performance of ChatGPT-3.5 to that of ChatGPT-4o in the context of the Japanese National Dental Examination, which assesses clinical reasoning skills and dental knowledge, to determine their potential usefulness in dental education.

Methods: ChatGPT's performance was assessed using 1399 (55% of the exam) of 2520 questions from the Japanese National Dental Examinations (111-117). The 1121 excluded questions (45% of the exam) contained figures or tables that ChatGPT could not recognize. The questions were categorized into 18 different subjects based on dental specialty. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, with McNemar's test applied to assess differences in performance.

Results: A significant improvement was noted in the percentage of correct answers from ChatGPT-4o (84.63%) compared with those from ChatGPT-3.5 (45.46%), demonstrating enhanced reliability and subject knowledge. ChatGPT-4o consistently outperformed ChatGPT-3.5 across all dental subjects, with significant improvements in subjects such as oral surgery, pathology, pharmacology, and microbiology. Heatmap analysis revealed that ChatGPT-4o provided more stable and higher correct answer rates, especially for complex subjects.

Conclusions: This study found that advanced natural language processing models, such as ChatGPT-4o, potentially have sufficiently advanced clinical reasoning skills and dental knowledge to function as a supplementary tool in dental education and exam preparation.

Background: During the 2021-2022 academic year, an integrated curriculum in gerodontology, including interactive teaching activities, has been proposed from the second to the fifth year of initial training. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the educational impact of interactive online mandatory activities including three quizzes and a serious game (SG) offered to fourth-year students in addition to passive courses in gerodontology.

Materials and methods: Students' participation in the quizzes and SG and their subsequent satisfaction were evaluated. Students' performance for managing a dental visit with older patients were also assessed by using two tests proposed before and after the completion of the third quiz and the SG. Scores obtained to these tests were then submitted to a paired t-test. Significance levels were set at p < 0.05.

Results: Student participation in the three quizzes and SG remained high throughout the semester. The level of satisfaction with the course was high (respectively 26.7% very satisfactory and 65.5% satisfactory). Finally, mean ± SD scores of performances were 65.6 ± 9.2 before and 69.5 ± 9.8 after the completion of the third quiz and the SG (p = 0.0002, t-test, df = 163).

Conclusion: The frequency of use and the scores obtained in interactive activities suggest that students were involved in their gerodontology training during the semester. The learning outcomes of fourth-year students were improved after the interactive activities. The introduction of a training pathway based on interactive activities could facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills by undergraduates in gerodontology.

Inadequate oral healthcare remains a critical public health issue in children and adults in the US affecting adverse social, psychological, economic, and health outcomes. Medical clinicians have a clear role in addressing oral health issues and improving outcomes. Oral health guidelines for health profession schools were developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) oral health core competencies, and the newer Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health's (CIPCOH) Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). However, the majority of health professional school deans and residency directors in the US report they are not satisfied with the oral health knowledge and skills of their learners at graduation. To address this issue, faculty at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMCMS) have worked for the past decade to develop and implement a true spiral curriculum building on lessons of knowledge, skills, and attitudes throughout the 4-year student experience. The current UMCMS curriculum involves most courses at the medical school, has community-based and interprofessional components, and is taught using multimedia. Most of the curriculum is mandatory with selective opportunities for those in specialty tracks or who are seeking more hands-on training. Our study evaluated the UMCMS curriculum using the AAMC and CIPCOH EPA guidelines. Findings show that all students receive training in 42 of 48 AAMC oral health competencies and seven of seven CIPCOH oral health EPAs with the opportunity to explore oral health further through elective courses. Assessments of students show they perform well and evaluation of the oral health curricula by students are positive. Although our oral health curriculum is robust, the next steps include expanding the evaluation of students to ensure they universally meet competencies. We expect that this case study can serve as a map for creating a generalizable, spiral curriculum for other medical schools.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a curricular change from mandatory to elective research on the student research outcomes at a Southern California Dental School over ten years. Additionally, the perception of dental students and faculty toward research in dental education was assessed.

Methods: A survey was distributed to determine the perception towards research in dental education, motivation and barriers for pursuing research and the possibility participants would pursue research-even if the school did not mandate it. The survey was distributed to a total of 507 dental students and 121 full-time faculty.

Results: Both dental students (80.6%) and faculty (91.4%) agreed that learning about research is important in dental education. Both cohorts generally agreed that research experience enhances dental training, supports the scientific basis of dental treatment methods, and correlates with clinical ability. The majority of students (77.0%) disagreed with mandating research while faculty (77.6%) believed that it should be mandated. Lack of time was the single most stated barrier for participating in research. The overall trend during the transition from mandatory to elective research showed that initially there was a stark drop in students and faculty participation and projects being carried out. However, with deliberate planning, research outcomes steadily increased.

Conclusions: We conclude that dental students and faculty have a positive perspective on the importance of research in dental education and actively engage in research and mentoring activities when provided with a supportive and encouraging environment. This participation occurs regardless of whether research is mandated or elective.

Objectives: With the development of three-dimensional (3D) image, the 3D virtual surgical planning (VSP) system has been broadly used in the treatment planning of orthodontic-orthognathic cases. This study aimed to understand the current education status regarding the use of orthodontic-orthognathic surgical planning tools in the postgraduate orthodontic and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) programs in North America.

Methods: An electronic multiple-choice survey was sent via email with 2-week and 1-month follow-ups, requesting anonymous participation of program directors/department chairs from all postgraduate orthodontic and OMFS programs in North America. Responses were collected directly on Qualtrics for analysis.

Results: The response rate was 25.68% for orthodontic and 34.34% for OMFS programs. Two-dimensional traditional surgical planning (TSP) at initial treatment planning and 3D VSP right before surgery were most commonly utilized in both specialty programs. All responded postgraduate OMFS programs utilized VSP, yet 26.32% of responded orthodontic programs did not utilize VSP. For the surgical outcomes, fewer orthodontic programs were highly satisfied than OMFS programs. More orthodontic programs warranted secondary surgery at a higher rate due to the unsatisfied outcome. Additionally, the orthodontic programs that did not use VSP showed higher unsatisfied surgical outcomes than the programs that used VSP. Moreover, there were discrepancies between orthodontic and OMFS programs regarding the perceived level of collaboration of each other on the surgical planning for the patients.

Conclusion: There were discrepancies between orthodontic and OMFS programs regarding the utilization of VSP, treatment outcomes satisfaction, and perceived level of collaboration on surgical planning for the patients.