Assessment of clinical ability in the removal of teeth among undergraduate dental students: a longitudinal comparative study

Self-perceived preparedness of new dental graduates from a Middle Eastern university

INTRODUCTION

Preparedness for independent clinical practice is a core goal of undergraduate dental education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-reported preparedness for the dental practice among new dental graduates from a University in the Middle East.

METHODS

Following ethics approval, a purposive sampling techniques were used to invite newly qualified dental graduates at a Middle Eastern University. A validated research instrument, namely the Dental Undergraduate Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS), was used to evaluate the self-perceived preparedness of the participants. Data collection was undertaken online using Google Forms and data were analysed to compute the descriptive statistics, reliability and demographic differences among the participants.

RESULTS

A total of 82 participants provided their response yielding a response rate of 68%. The participants included 49 males and 33 females. The overall reliability of DU-PAS was excellent. (α = 0.93). The participants included less than 40% of participants were able independently to prescribe medications, assess orthodontics needs and perform endodontic treatment on multirooted teeth. In addition, more than 65% indicated low confidence in evaluating new dental materials and products, interpreting new research findings and behavioural management of children.

CONCLUSION

The present findings identified strengths and weaknesses of new dental graduates from a Middle Eastern university. The participants were confident in basic clinical skills but lower confidence was reported for complex dental procedures. The findings highlight the learning needs of new dental graduates and can serve to inform the undergraduate curriculum to enhance the preparedness of future cohorts of dental graduates.

Articaine improves anesthetic achievement for exodontia performed by undergraduate dental students: A clinical comparative study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To assess the clinical performance of undergraduate dental students in delivering inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) with either articaine or lidocaine, and to compare the success rate of their IANBs between articaine and lidocaine for the extraction of mandibular molar teeth.

METHODS

In this clinical trial, patients were randomly distributed into 2 study groups: articaine and lidocaine groups. In each group, dental students performed IANB followed by forceps extraction of 1 mandibular molar under close supervision. The operative parameters measured included: assessment of anesthetic technique (on 10 points visual analogue scale 'VAS-10'), onset and depth of anesthesia, intra-operative pain perceived by patients and their satisfaction level (on VAS-10), and the success rate of IANB (in terms of need to additional anesthesia). Data analyses used were descriptive statistics, t-test, χ² test, and Pearson's correlation.

RESULTS

One-hundred sixty patients were included in the final analysis, 80 in each group. The overall students' IANB technique was assessed as good (mean score 7.3). Articaine group showed significantly higher success rate of IANB (71%) compared to (55%) in lidocaine group, (P = 0.03). Patients also reported significantly higher satisfaction scores in the articaine group (P = 0.04). There were no significant difference in the onset of action and intra-operative pain level between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Students' IANBs were generally assessed as "good." Articaine IANBs performed by undergraduate students showed significantly higher success rate than lidocaine IANBs. By using articaine, the anesthetic achievement was greater for mandibular molar extraction performed by undergraduate students.