Introduction of integrated dental training jaw models and rubric criteria

Association between gender and self-assessment skills amongst Japanese dental students

Background/purpose

Self-assessment in dental education is considered a fundamental skill for proficient oral healthcare providers. While previous studies looked at self-assessment in education, few have done so at Japanese institutions. This study aimed to assess potential associations between gender and self-assessment skills in Japanese dental students.

Materials and methods

Dental students from Niigata University (n = 301) completed preclinical prosthodontic exercises and self-assessed their practical exam performance. Three calibrated faculty evaluated students' work using the same rubric. The difference between student self-assessment score and mean faculty grade was defined as the student-faculty (S-F) gap, indicating how accurately students evaluated their work. The gap scores were stratified by quartiles by faculty grade and by gender. Regression analysis was used to investigate potential associations.

Results

Students mean S-F gap was 2.9 ± 10.5 % with a significant negative association to faculty grades (coefficient, -0.32; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between male and female students for faculty grades, self-assessment scores, and S-F gaps. When stratified by quartile, mean S-F gaps of bottom quartile students (5.7 ± 11.9 %) were significantly higher than the rest of the class (1.9 ± 9.8 %; P = 0.01), while the mean S-F gaps of students in the top quartile (-0.8 ± 10.2 %) were significantly lower than the rest of the class (4.2 ± 10.3 %; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Niigata University students generally overestimated their performance. Students with higher faculty grades self-assessed themselves more accurately than students with lower faculty grades. Gender did not influence S-F gaps, despite dentistry in Japan shifting toward a female-dominated field.

Effectiveness of typodont, quail egg and virtual simulation for ultrasonic periodontal scaling teaching among pre-clinical students: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of three different techniques, namely virtual simulation technology (VS), traditional pathological typodont (TT), and quail egg (QE), in pre-clinical training of periodontal ultrasonic scaling. It also aimed to propose an integrated teaching approach for ultrasonic scaling teaching.

METHODS

This single-blind randomized multi-arm trial enrolled 108 fourth-year students from Guanghua School of Stomatology at Sun Yat-sen University. The participants were randomly, evenly assigned to VS, TT, or QE group. First, the participants received theoretical review on ultrasonic scaling and demonstrative teaching. Then in the 90-minute operation training by group, students used traditional typodont equipped in head-simulators, raw quail eggs, or scaling module of the UniDental VS system respectively. Then all participants practiced on pathological models for 30 min. In the final operation examination, participants were instructed to remove the supra- and sub-gingival calculi pre-set on designated teeth by ultrasonic scalers within 30 min. Their performances were evaluated by residual calculus rate and a multi-perspective scoring scale. After the examination, questionnaires were provided to assess the teaching effects of each method and the fidelity of VS. Statistical analysis was carried out using one-way, two-way ANOVA, and multiple t-test.

RESULTS

Students in VS group had significant higher total test scores than QE group (87.89 ± 6.81, 83.53 ± 8.14) and TT group (85.03 ± 6.81). VS group scored higher in several dimensional comparisons with the other two groups, especially in difficult situations. QE group had higher scores particularly in force application and supra-gingival scaling. TT group scored the highest in pivot stability practice and body position training. Students gave higher scores when assessing the fidelity of VS than experienced teachers.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of specialized pre-clinical training on ultrasonic scaling for dental students. The methods adopted in current study (VS, TT and QE) each offered unique advantages in education, which can be combined to create an integrative teaching procedure. This procedure aims to provide an effective, advisable and normative pre-clinical training procedure for ultrasonic scaling. By utilizing the strengths of each method, dental educators can deliver high-quality training and ensure that students are well-prepared for clinical practice.

Rubric vs. numeric rating scale: agreement among evaluators on endodontic treatments performed by dental students

BACKGROUND

Students´ assessment should be carried out in an effective and objective manner, which reduces the possibility of different evaluators giving different scores, thus influencing the qualification obtained and the consistency of education. The aim of the present study was to determine the agreement among four evaluators and compare the overall scores awarded when assessing portfolios of endodontic preclinical treatments performed by dental students by using an analytic rubric and a numeric rating scale.

METHODS

A random sample of 42 portfolios performed by fourth-year dental students at preclinical endodontic practices were blindly assessed by four evaluators using two different evaluation methods: an analytic rubric specifically designed and a numeric rating scale. Six categories were analyzed: radiographic assessment, access preparation, shaping procedure, obturation, content of the portfolio, and presentation of the portfolio. The maximum global score was 10 points. The overall scores obtained with both methods from each evaluator were compared by Student's t, while agreement among evaluators was measured by Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The influence of the difficulty of the endodontic treatment on the evaluators´ scores was analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Statistical tests were performed at a pre-set alpha of 0.05 using Stata 16.

RESULTS

Difficulty of canal treatment did not influence the scores of evaluators, irrespective of the evaluation method used. When the analytic rubric was used, inter-evaluator agreement was substantial for radiographic assessment, access preparation, shaping procedure, obturation, and overall scores. Inter-evaluator agreement ranged from moderate to fair with the numeric rating scale. Mean higher overall scores were achieved when numeric rating scale was used. Presentation and content of the portfolio showed slight and fair agreement, respectively, among evaluators, regardless the evaluation method applied.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment guided by an analytic rubric allowed evaluators to reach higher levels of agreement than those obtained when using a numeric rating scale. However, the rubric negatively affected overall scores.

Evaluation of students' self-assessment performance in preclinical endodontic training by means of rubrics and a 3D printed model

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Effective evaluation of students' self-assessment ability is crucial. This study was to develop a standardized 3D printed teaching model accompanied by structured scoring rubrics for preclinical endodontic training, to appraise students' self-assessment ability, and to evaluate their perceptions of the training system.

METHODS

The 3D printing model was designed to house a standardized central incisor. Forty-four undergraduate dental students were enrolled and their endodontic performance was self-assessed and also rated by a teaching assistant and a tutor using 3 structured rubrics including access cavity, mechanical preparation, and obturation assessments. In total, 21 rubric evaluation items of preclinical tasks were assessed, and the assessment results from the student, teaching assistant, and tutor were compared. Furthermore, questionnaires were used to evaluate students' experiences with the new system.

RESULTS

The tutor, teaching assistant, and students all had similar scorings and high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for mechanical preparation and obturation rubrics, while the students had underestimated scores on the access cavity rubric with a rather low ICC of 0.387, which also lead to the underestimated overall scoring (P < 0.05). Among the 21 evaluation criteria, 9 items were rated statistically different (P < 0.05), which denoted the major deficiencies of students' self-assessments. More than 80% of students rated satisfied for most of the questions regarding the new training system, except the tactile sensation, hardness, and radiopacity.

CONCLUSION

The proposed standardized 3D printed model and structured scoring rubrics is feasible for preclinical endodontic training, and standardized evaluation of students' self-assessment ability.

Effectiveness of virtual simulation and jaw model for undergraduate periodontal teaching

BACKGROUND

The current study explored the effect of virtual simulation and jaw model on development of preclinical periodontal skills in undergraduate students. The study also sought to explore effectiveness of VR in periodontal preclinical training and determine adequate performance mode in basic periodontal education to improve future preclinical training strategies.

METHODS

Sixty volunteer sophomores and juniors from the stomatology department in Lanzhou university were enrolled to the current study. Participants were randomly assigned into four groups (each group, n = 15) including the traditional jaw model group (Group J) which was the control group, virtual reality group (Group V), virtual-jaw group (Group V-J), and jaw-virtual group (Group J-V). Participants received training on uniform basic periodontal knowledge before completing the first theoretical assessment. Participants further underwent a total 8 h of operation training and completed a second theoretical assessment. Performance of participants was evaluated using the supragingival scaling processes, and clinical operation scores were graded by a blinded professional using an established standard scoring system.

RESULTS

The findings showed no significant difference in the first theoretical outcomes between the four groups (P > 0.05). The scores of the second theoretical assessment were significantly improved for the V-J and J-V groups (60.00 ± 4.47, 58.33 ± 4.35) compared with the scores of the first theoretical exam (49.67 ± 4.81, 48.00 ± 4.93, P < 0.05). The operation process scores of students in Group V-J and J-V (72.00 ± 5.92; 70.00 ± 3.05) were significantly higher compared with the scores in the other two groups (V: 61.67 ± 7.85; J: 60.67 ± 2.58). The scaling process performance of students in Group V-J and J-V (53.00 ± 3.05; 63.40 ± 4.39) was improved compared with that of students in the other two groups (V: 41.90 ± 5.23; J: 47.40 ± 4.31).

CONCLUSION

The findings show that combination of virtual reality and jaw model during periodontal preclinical training increases students' grades and improves acquiring of professional skills. Findings from the current study indicate that the jaw model should be applied prior to virtual reality to ensure high efficacy.