European Journal of Dental Education最新文献

Purpose: Professional values shape the identity and ethical practice of dental educators. Understanding how these values are perceived can inform curriculum development and faculty training. This study examines the ranking of professional values among dental educators and explores differences based on gender and teaching experience.

Methods: This cross-sectional study targeted dental educators from two Saudi institutions. Participants ranked four domains of professional values: Self-Enhancement, Self-Transcendence, Openness-to-Change and Conservation by their importance in dental education. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test (gender differences) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (experience differences), with post hoc Dunn's test for significant results.

Results: Among 153 educators, 99.35% agreed on the importance of teaching professional ethics, though perceptions of institutional practices varied. Openness-to-Change and Conservation values were ranked highest, while Self-Enhancement values received the lowest priority. Male educators ranked Self-Enhancement values significantly lower than females. More experienced educators (10+ years) prioritised Self-Transcendence values over mid-career educators. Early-career educators (1-5 years) ranked Openness-to-Change values higher than senior educators.

Conclusions: The study highlights the need to align educational strategies with professional values. Gender and career stage influence value perceptions, offering insights for curriculum development and faculty training in dental education.

Introduction: Despite the growing use of digital technologies in clinical dentistry, traditional methods for designing removable partial dentures (RPDs) still dominate undergraduate education, potentially limiting students' readiness to adopt digital workflows. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the learning experience and performance of dental students in using a digital surveying tool for designing RPDs.

Material and methods: A paired comparative design study was conducted with fourth-year undergraduate students, who were divided into two groups: Group 1, which used digital surveying, and Group 2, which used conventional surveying to design an RPD. Blinded assessors evaluated the denture designs, while participants completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of digital surveying. Performance differences between the two groups were analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test.

Results: Of 58 invited students, 50 participated, yielding an 86.2% response rate. The participants generally found digital surveying somewhat challenging to learn as beginners. In contrast, 72.0% and 74.0% of students reported that identifying the undercuts on the abutment teeth and determining the most desirable path of insertion were easier with the digital than with the conventional surveyor, respectively. RPD designs created by students using digital and conventional surveyors were deemed clinically acceptable for 68.0% and 64.0% of participants, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Digital surveying is a promising and effective alternative to conventional surveying, providing similar educational benefits, while introducing students to essential digital tools. No significant difference was observed in students' RPD design performance between the digital and conventional surveying methods.

Introduction: Given the lack of updated information on postgraduate gerodontology (GD) education, this study aimed to explore postgraduate GD education worldwide, focusing on competencies, content topics and teaching methods.

Materials and methods: This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance, with the protocol registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/wzvxa/). Searches were conducted in three databases (Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC and MEDLINE). Additional sources were identified through citation searching, direct contact with programme directors and dental organisations, and reviews of university and national dental association websites. Data were analysed using quantitative content analysis.

Results: Twenty-one articles and 40 grey literature sources were included, covering 19 countries and three programme types (GD-specific, general practice residency and special care dentistry), although only 12 countries provided sufficient detail for further analysis. Competencies and content topics were categorised into seven domains, with the domains of 'Clinical Dental Science', 'Oral Healthcare Planning and Teamwork', 'Gerontology' and 'Medical and Psychological Science' consistently emphasised across all countries. Programmes primarily targeted older adults with medical complexity, although varied patient characteristics were also considered. Teaching methods included both theoretical and practical sessions with diverse clinical practice settings.

Conclusions: This study highlights key areas for postgraduate GD education. Further research is warranted to address educational gaps, particularly by establishing standardised competency frameworks to guide curriculum content, incorporating vital but underrepresented topics, and developing effective interprofessional education models and comprehensive clinical exposure in diverse settings.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is already a powerful tool that is rapidly growing within the dental sector. Reports of structure and characteristics of AI responses to patient scenarios are limited.

Purpose: To analyse characteristics and structure of AI responses to prompts for treatment planning alternatives and patient alternatives for complex patients. The project is seen as a prelude to exploring the interface between AI information and responsibility for patient decisions, patient privacy and credibility of AI information.

Methods: Microsoft Copilot from July 2025 was prompted for a hypothetical patient scenario to develop treatment alternatives. In addition to treatment alternatives, patient analysis factors were prompted and three were analysed in the manuscript: patient modifying factors, patient capacity to subscribe to professional recommendations and prognoses.

Results: Qualitative analyses for AI responses were extensive, in categories, amenable to table format, informational and not recommendational. For each treatment alternative AI generated goal, phases, pros and cons. AI offered ten modifying factors affecting dental treatment, including age, medical conditions, medications, etc. For patient capacity, AI generated seven responses under headings of positive indicators and limitations. For prognoses, AI generated short-and long-term prognoses with key indicators. Treatment alternatives remained largely unchanged before and after sequential inclusion of patient modifying factors.

Conclusions: AI can offer extensive categorised information on patient care to reinforce the dentist of considerations in patient care without making recommendations. Responsibility for patient decisions, patient privacy and soundness of information remains with the dentist.

Introduction: Mind mapping is a visual learning strategy that fosters critical thinking in health professions education, yet it remains underexplored in orthodontic curricula. With varying class sizes, increasing reliance on technology, and fragmented delivery of core orthodontic concepts, there is a need for pedagogical tools that support integrative and meaningful learning. This study evaluates how instructional support significantly impacts students' perceptions and learning gains when mind mapping is introduced in an undergraduate orthodontics course.

Materials and methods: An opportunistic comparison action-research study was conducted with two student cohorts (n = 187). Cohort I received structured orientation, guided instruction, and individualised feedback on their mind maps, while Cohort II completed the activity independently due to limited faculty availability. A 14-item perception questionnaire was used to assess students' views of the mind mapping experience. Reliability testing (Cronbach's α), t-tests, ANOVA, and regression models examined the impact of instructional support and learning styles on student perceptions.

Results: The perception scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.81). Cohort I reported significantly higher scores in 11 out of 14 perception items. Regression analysis identified cohort membership as a significant predictor of students' ability to perceive "the big picture" and recognise inter-topic links, suggesting a positive effect of structured feedback.

Discussion: The findings align with literature on feedback-enhanced learning and highlight the value of guided visual tools in complex clinical domains. The differences between cohorts underscore the influence of faculty scaffolding on student engagement and conceptual integration.

Conclusion: When embedded within structured instructional guidance, proper scaffolding, and formative feedback, learning tools can support meaningful integration of orthodontic concepts, an increasingly important safeguard against fragmented surface learning, especially in the AI era.

Introduction: As a highly practical discipline, oral medicine requires students to possess strong hand-eye coordination skills particularly in the use of dental mirrors for indirect vision procedures. This study aims to explore the application and effectiveness of a novel oral mirror training device in cultivating hand-eye coordination among dental students, based on the BOPPPS teaching model. This device is a self-designed physical model with a three-dimensional adjustable mirror image.

Methods: A total of 60 third-year students majoring in Dental Medicine at Hunan University of Medicine in 2023 were selected as research participants and randomly assigned to an experimental group (oral mirror training technology combined with the BOPPPS teaching model, n = 30) and a control group (conventional BOPPPS teaching model, n = 30). Upon completion of the teaching sessions, all students underwent unified assessments of their practical oral operation projects using a digital evaluation system. Additionally, satisfaction surveys regarding the training were distributed via a WeChat mini-program immediately after the training and 1 year later.

Results: According to the digital evaluation system, the average practical operation scores of the experimental and control groups were 90.10 ± 4.20 and 83.40 ± 5.26. The score of the experimental group increased by 6.7 points. One year later, a follow-up assessment was conducted in accordance with the standards of the National Dental Licensing Examination, and the pass rate of the experimental group improved by 13%, respectively, with the experimental group scoring significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.01). The hand-eye coordination training satisfaction questionnaire revealed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher total scores both immediately after training (94.00 points) and 1 year later (89.33 points), compared to the control group (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The integration of oral mirror training technology with the BOPPPS model establishes an effective paradigm for clinically authentic skill acquisition in dental education. This study demonstrates significant improvements in students' mirror-involved operational competencies (e.g., posterior tooth preparations and indirect vision techniques) through structured simulation training. Future developments should prioritise: (1) technical refinement of the training apparatus to incorporate real-time digital assessment capabilities, enabling adaptive learning pathways; (2) longitudinal tracking of clinical performance outcomes to validate the transferability of the use of oral glasses. This dual focus on technological enhancement and outcome validation will further bridge the gap between simulated training and clinical practice in operative dentistry.

Objectives: Despite increased number of women entering dental academia in the last decade, gender disparities persist in leadership roles. This study examined gender trends within administrative leadership across U.S. dental schools.

Materials and methods: Data on gender, age, employment status, academic rank and administrative title were extracted from the ADEA Survey of Dental School Faculty. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess gender representation in leadership over time, stratified by rank and age and adjusted for employment status (aPR).

Results: On average, women held fewer leadership roles than men (17.5% vs. 19.8%, p < 0.001), even after adjusting for employment status. Women were underrepresented in senior administrative positions such as department chairs (PRs = 0.57-0.81), division directors (PRs = 0.40-0.72) and deans (PRs = 0.46-0.62). Younger women were more likely to hold leadership roles than those aged ≥ 60.

Conclusion: While overrepresented as allied program directors and other nonspecific directorships, women continue to be underrepresented in more senior leadership roles, underscoring the need for systemic reform. Women continue to hold fewer senior leadership roles than men, emphasising the need for systemic change in policies and institutional culture to facilitate gender equity in academic dentistry.

Introduction: The study evaluated the effectiveness of a resilience training for dental students as a preventive measure for mental health and stress management, with consideration for its long-term integration into dental education.

Methods: A 2-day online resilience training was tailored to address specific stressors experienced by dental students in Munich, Germany. Data were collected via online questionnaires from both participants (pre and posttraining) and nonparticipant controls over a 6-month period. Outcomes included resilience development, health behaviour, perceived stress and life satisfaction, utilising an online questionnaire. Statistical analysis (t-tests and mixed ANOVA) was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics.

Results: Training participants showed significantly increased resilience F(1.54) = 4.93, p = 0.031, η² = 0.084 (medium effect), reduced subjective stress and higher overall satisfaction. Qualitative feedback indicated enhanced social support, though the effect on physical health behaviour remained inconclusive. Differences in resilience and satisfaction were observed between preclinical and clinical students, and between sexes.

Discussion: This resilience training demonstrated preventive benefits for dental students' mental health. Limitations include selection bias, self-reported measures, lack of long-term data and confounding societal influences. Integrating such training into dental curricula may be a valuable strategy with potential for broader application in other institutions as well.

Background: 3D printing has emerged as a practical method for fabricating customisable, accurate and affordable dental training models. Numerous 3D printing technologies exist, though there is no standardised comparison to inform their implementation in dental education. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the qualities of various 3D printed dental models against the current standard model used in tertiary dental education.

Methodology: Five maxillary molar tooth models were fabricated using selective laser sintering (SLS), fused filament fabrication (FFF), material jetting (MJ), stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP). A standard Ivorine tooth model (One Dental, Australia) was also evaluated. Eighteen participants performed cavity preparations and assessed each model based on haptic feedback, visual appearance, anatomical accuracy and overall suitability using a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: FFF was the most economical per unit ($0.06), followed by DLP ($0.30). MJ was the most expensive ($1.87), though it offers high resolution and complexity. In terms of enamel haptics and dentine haptics, MJ (3.11, 3.28), SLA (3.00, 3.33) and DLP (3.11, 3.44) were assessed as comparable to Ivorine (3.67, 3.44). Similarly, overall suitability of MJ (3.33), SLA (3.33) and DLP (3.44) was comparable to Ivorine (4.17). FFF and SLS were rated significantly inferior to Ivorine in all domains.

Conclusions: Current 3D printed models do not fully simulate dental tissue and should be used to supplement the limitations of standard models and improve self-learning. Future research is warranted to develop models with improved haptic feedback and realistic surface anatomy.

Introduction: The use of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT to generate multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for medical and dental education is rapidly increasing. However, the educational validity, cognitive depth, and practical usability of AI-generated questions remain underexplored in dental education. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT-4o in generating MCQs for pre-doctoral oral and maxillofacial radiology curricula.

Methods: ChatGPT-4o was prompted to generate 100 multiple-choice questions based on lecture materials from a pre-doctoral oral and maxillofacial radiology course. A panel of expert oral radiologists independently evaluated the quality of the questions, answers, and explanations. Additionally, a randomised subset of 64 MCQs was assessed by human experts and an AI-detection tool to determine the accuracy of source identification.

Results: Experts rated 43% of AI-generated questions and 65% of their corresponding answers as correct and usable with minor adjustments. Most questions focussed on knowledge recall, with few assessing higher order thinking skills. Both human experts and AI-detection tools struggled to accurately differentiate between AI-generated and human-created questions.

Conclusion: While ChatGPT-4o can generate MCQs, its output often requires refinement. Future research should explore ways to improve the quality and cognitive level of AI-generated questions for dental education.