Search

A survey of 429 general dentists attempted to verify anecdotal reports of ethical lapses in clinical dental licensing examinations. It found significant occurrence of not arranging followup care for the patient even though indicated, intentional creation of lesions, premature treatment for the purpose of the examinations, coercing patients into treatment, and unnecessary radiographs. (Author/MSE)

Two studies investigated interrater agreement among 10 clinical dental examiners who scored residual subgingival calculus after student scaling on 4,160 real and 92 manikin tooth surfaces. Interrater reliability was low. Results suggest a need in periodontics for effective examiner calibration methods and objective subgingival calculus detection techniques. (Author/MSE)

A survey investigated the application of constructs related to acquisition of psychomotor skills in the preclinical dental curriculum in 220 departments of operative dentistry, fixed and removable prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and periodontics. Results indicate insufficient opportunities for students to define desired outcomes and performance and conditions not simulating clinical practice. (Author/MSE)

A study of the relative effectiveness of an introductory activity to teach intracoronal operative preparations to dental students (n=35) found that in comparison with traditional classroom methods used with 29 students, the leadup activity resulted in more efficient instruction and improved learning. Amount of teacher supervision was also a controlled variable. (Author/MSE)

A study found that dental students' previous experience with simulated operative procedures transferred well to subsequent training in other operative procedures but not to procedures in fixed prosthodontics, suggesting that transfer of training is highly specific. (Author/MSE)

A traditional instructional format that provided instructor-generated terminal knowledge of results was compared with one that also trained students to generate continual knowledge of results using two sections of an operative laboratory. (Author/MLW)

Twenty-six student volunteers participated in an eight-hour self-instructional program and were compared to students in a control group. Analyses of covariance with perceptual ability test indicated that the experimental group statistically significantly outperformed the control group on all but one preparation. (Author/MLW)

Development of a student evaluation system for two preclinical dental laboratory courses is described. The system uses an analytic technique for identifying components of the evaluation system that contribute to and detract from the evaluation's reliability. Further refinements based on this technique are discussed. (Author/MSE)

The purpose of this study was to test the adherence strength of oxides to some silver-free high-palladium alloys, and to compare the results to values obtained from Au-Pd and Ni-Cr metals. The results showed that the adherence strengths of the oxides were greater than the reported cohesive strength of opaque porcelain. This would indicate that the oxides formed on the alloys examined in this study are sufficiently adherent to their substrates to produce adequate porcelain bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the accuracy of occlusal contacts relative to the mode in which casts are mounted. Specifically, the direct effect on occlusal contacts was assessed with respect to: (a) the type of mounting stone used; (b) the amount of material used relative to the distance between the mounting plate and the cast base; and (c) the presence or absence of a restriction of the articulator's vertical opening. A 3 x 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance and a Dunn's Multiple Comparison Procedure (P < .05) showed that one of the three mounting stones was statistically significantly less accurate in reproducing occlusal contacts when a distance of 19 mm existed between the cast and the articulator, regardless of the existence of articulator restriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the immediate effects of calibration on inter-rater agreement to a gold standard (GS) and to determine whether the effects can be sustained over a ten-week period. Valid criteria for a Class II amalgam preparation, a three-point rating scale, and a grade form were developed. Three tests were administered: prior to calibration training, immediately following training, and ten weeks later. Each test consisted of faculty independently evaluating ten prepared teeth. Agreement with G S scores for most of the grading criteria improved as a result of training and did not deteriorate over time. The overall percent agreement was 54.5. 66.9, and 64.6 percent across test periods. The most impressive gains in agreement occurred when the criteria evaluated bad a GS score of either "standard not met" or "ideal." There was very little gain when the gold standard score was "acceptable." It is concluded that, with training, inter-rater agreement with a gold standard can improve and such improvement is reasonably resistant to deterioration after ten weeks. Nevertheless, future training ought to consider the use of a mastery approach in calibration training to ensure that a satisfactory degree of agreement with the GS is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the home care of noncompliant adolescent orthodontic patients with "poor" oral hygiene could be improved through the use of a deception strategy designed to intentionally induce the Hawthorne effect. This effect is often cited as being responsible for oral health improvements of control groups that receive placebo treatments. It is thought that participating in and fulfilling the requirements of a study alters subjects' behavior, thereby contributing to the improvement. Forty patients with histories of poor oral hygiene were assigned, in a quasi-random fashion, to two groups. Experimental subjects (n = 20) were presented with a situation that simulated participation in an experiment. These included the use of a consent form; distribution of tubes of toothpaste labeled "experimental"; instructions to brush twice a day for two minutes using a timer; and a request to return unused toothpaste. Control subjects (n = 20) had no knowledge of study participation. Tooth surface area covered with plaque was used as a proxy measure of home care behavior. It was measured at baseline, three months, and six months. Mean percentages of tooth surface covered with plaque for the experimental and control groups were 71 (+/- 11.52) and 74 (+/- 11.46) at baseline; 54 (+/- 13.79) and 78 (+/- 12.18) at three months; and 52 (+/- 13.04) and 79 (+/- 10.76) at six months. No statistically significant difference (p > .05) was obtained between groups at baseline. Statistically significant differences (p < .05) were found between groups at three and six months. Significant differences (p < .05) were also found only for the experimental subjects between baseline and each of the two subsequent observation periods. The efficiency and potential effectiveness of this strategy suggest that additional research be conducted to assess oral health improvements and possible applications to the private practice setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1995, a survey requesting information about the utilization of certain prosthodontic techniques was mailed to 3,544 graduates of a midwestern dental school. Responses were received from 1,455 alumni, representing a 41 percent return rate. In general, the results are consistent with international and national trends and show significant disparity in the utilization rates of certain procedures between general dentists and prosthodontists, as well as a disconnect between what is taught in the undergraduate dental educational program and what is applied in practice. For example, while prosthodontists typically apply what was taught in their educational program, utilization rates of general dentists for the facebow was 29.64 percent; the custom tray 68.48 percent; border molding 58.67 percent; altered casts 24.10 percent; custom posts 49.29 percent; prefabricated posts 67.54 percent; and semi-adjustable articulators 50.64 percent. While no solutions to this disconnect are offered the authors do pose important questions that must be addressed by the dental educational community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]