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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]

While clinical licensure examinations claim to protect the public from incompetent practitioners, serious problems related to issues of validity, reliability, and ethics have been reported. The ethical lapses are difficult to document, and reports of problems have been strictly anecdotal. This study's primary purpose was to verify those anecdotal reports by mailing a twenty-one-item survey to a national random sample of one thousand general dentists who graduated from a United States-accredited dental school between 1980 and 1994. For those who responded (42.9 percent) results show that 23.9 percent did not arrange for follow-up care for the patient even though it was indicated. Eight percent reported knowledge of instances where a lesion was intentionally created; 19.3 percent knew of premature treatment provided for purposes of the examination; 13.7 percent knew of a colleague who coerced a patient into accepting treatment; 32.5 percent reported knowledge of unnecessary radiographs. About half of all respondents agreed that the examination was not an accurate assessment of ability, and a similar proportion doubted that human patients were necessary. A more reliable and valid assessment strategy that does not jeopardize patient care is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]