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This study compared the structural integrity and fracture mode of teeth restored with traditionally and minimally prepared resin-bonded CAD/CAM inlays fabricated from the same material.Forty intact maxillary premolars were used and divided into four groups. Two groups were prepared according to a traditional inlay preparation design (2.0 mm occlusal reduction, a 1.5 mm wide proximal box and divergent walls) and two groups were prepared according to a newly proposed minimal preparation design (round shaped cavity with 1.0 mm occlusal reduction, a U-shaped proximal box 1.0 mm wide and parallel walls). Two restorative systems were tested: a composite system comprised of Paradigm MZ100 (3M ESPE) blocks and RelyX Unicem (3M ESPE) resin cement and a ceramic system comprised of ProCAD blocks (Ivoclar-Vivadent) and Variolink II (Ivoclar-Vivadent) resin cement. The inlays were cemented according to the manufacturers' instructions. Each specimen was loaded axially to its occlusal surface at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute in a universal testing machine until fracture. The fracture load data were analyzed using ANOVA, comparing inlays of the same restorative material. Also, the mode of fracture of the inlays was recorded and analyzed using a non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis).In the composite system case, the mean fracture load and SD were 1322 N (+/- 445) for the traditional inlays and 1511 N (+/- 395) for the minimal inlays, while in the ceramic system case, those values were 1135N (+/- 450) for the traditional inlays and 1761 N (+/- 494) for the minimal inlays. Statistical analysis of the results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two designs for the composite system, while for the ceramic system, the minimally prepared teeth showed higher mean fracture strength. Non-parametric analysis (Kruskal-Wallis) of the mode of fracture showed that there was no statistically significant difference between traditionally and minimally prepared inlays for both systems (p.05).Under the conditions of this experimental study, only the ceramic inlays, when prepared with a minimal preparation design, demonstrated a higher fracture strength as compared to the traditionally prepared teeth. Use of the proposed minimal preparation design did not compromise the immediate post-operative structural integrity of teeth restored either with resin composite or ceramic inlays.

This article reports the results of a follow-up study conducted to investigate students' perceptions about a blended learning health informatics course that combined online and traditional classroom instruction. The course is taught to five different groups of students at the School of Clinical Dentistry of the University of Sheffield each academic year: first-, third-, and fourth-year dental students, dental hygiene and therapy students, and postgraduate dental students. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of the modifications made to the course after the first year of implementation. To accomplish this goal, students' perceptions of this blended learning course were compared after the first and second implementations. The methodology used for this study was action research. The data were collected using three processes: questionnaires were used to collect contextual data from the students taking the course; a student-led, nominal group technique was used to collect group data from the participants; and a non-participant observer technique was used to record the context in which certain group and individual behaviors occurred. Depending on group assignment, between 41.5 and 91.5 percent of students believed that the blended-learning course had added to their skills. The online learning environment was perceived as a useful resource by 75 percent of students in four of the five student groups, but only 45 percent of the fourth-year dental students indicated it was a useful resource. The perceived lack of sufficient online support material was one of the main concerns of the students at the nominal group evaluation sessions. The non-participant observer technique identified different engagement levels among the student groups. Discernible differences were identified, with improvement in some areas and a decline in others compared to a previous evaluation. The change in the delivery method influenced the students' comprehension of the material negatively and the learning environment positively, but did not influence online collaboration among students.

The purpose of this study was to present and evaluate a blended-learning course developed for undergraduate (B.D.S.), postgraduate, and diploma (hygiene and therapy) students at the University of Sheffield School of Clinical Dentistry. Blended learning is the integration of classroom face-to-face learning with online learning. The overall methodology used for this study was action research. The data were collected using three processes: questionnaires to collect contextual data from the students taking the course; a student-led, nominal group technique to collect group data from the participants; and a non-participant observer technique to record the context in which certain group and individual behaviors occurred. The online component of the course was accepted as a valuable resource by 65 percent of those responding. While online information-sharing occurred (31 percent of the students posted in forums), there was no evidence of online collaboration, with only 8 percent replying to forum postings. Accessibility of the online environment was one of the main concerns of the students at the nominal group sessions. Differences regarding overall engagement with the course between the student groups (years) were observed during the sessions. The majority of the students were satisfied with the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) course. No statistically significant differences between males and females were found, but there were differences between different student cohorts (year groups).