Review of outcomes from a change in faculty clinic management in a U.S. dental school.
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Dental schools use a variety of clinic management models with the goals of promoting patient care, student education, and fiscal responsibility. In 2004, the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry transitioned to a more generalist model with these goals in mind. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of this clinic model change relative to the quantity of specific procedures completed by students. The quantity of procedures completed by each student from the classes of 1995 through 2009 were compiled from our electronic clinic management system and analyzed. The post-transition group (2004-09) showed a greater number of completed oral diagnosis and treatment planning and root planing procedures per student compared to the pre-transition group (1995-2003), but fewer crowns, root canals, operative procedures, and dentures. Because the higher procedure numbers were for low-cost procedures, our transition to a generalist model did not necessarily enhance clinic income but may support student learning and enhanced patient care. (+info)
Implant overdentures: dental students' performance in fabrication, denture quality, and patient satisfaction.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental students' performance when fabricating a mandibular two-implant overdenture (OD) as compared to conventional dentures (CD) and to determine if these prostheses were successful. Twenty students and twenty patients were divided into two groups: complete denture group (CDG) and maxillary denture and two-implant OD group (ODG). Students' progress was evaluated at each appointment as they were given a clinical assessment score (CAS), which varied from 1 (unacceptable, needs to repeat procedure) to 4 (acceptable, no errors). The success of the prosthesis was evaluated by the patients using a visual analog scale (VAS) and an expert (a prosthodontist) using a denture quality assessment (DQA) form. Performance for both groups was not statistically different across all eight appointments (CDG 3.16 versus ODG 3.25; p=0.46). Patients with ODs reported greater stability with their dentures (p=0.048) and greater ability to chew than patients with CDs (p=0.03). There were no differences between the groups in terms of expert appraisal (ODG 71.1 versus CDG 67.5; p=0.59). The performance of dental students when fabricating a two-implant OD is thus not different from that of a CD. Students can successfully fabricate a two-implant OD as perceived by both patients and prosthodontists. (+info)
Dental students' ability to evaluate themselves in fixed prosthodontics.
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Self-evaluation is an essential skill for dental professionals for lifelong learning and improvement through the course of their careers. Students taking a preclinical fixed prosthodontics course were studied. The students were asked to assign themselves a grade upon completion of their timed preparation examination (teeth preparations and provisional restorations), and these were compared with grades given by the faculty. The poorer performing students tended to be less critical with their examination and to overrate their performance whereas the higher performing students were more critical of themselves and underrated their performance. (+info)
Evaluation of senior Brazilian dental students about mouth preparation and removable partial denture design.
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This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of senior dental students about mouth preparation and removable partial denture (RPD) design. Two hundred sixty-six senior students from eleven dental schools in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, comprised the sample. The subjects examined two partially edentulous casts mounted on a semiadjustable articulator, answered a questionnaire regarding the treatment plan, and drew the RPD design. The casts consisted of Kennedy Class III, modification 1 maxillary arch and Class II mandibular arch. Ninety percent of the students believed that mouth preparation should be performed although no one was able to name all necessary procedures. For the maxillary arch, 12 percent of the denture designs were completely appropriate, 51 percent were partially appropriate, and 37 percent were inappropriate. For the mandibular arch, the results were 3 percent, 40 percent, and 57 percent, respectively. (+info)
Comparison of obturator design for acquired maxillary defect in completely edentulous patients.
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Dental student perceptions of predoctoral implant education and plans for providing implant treatment.
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This study aims to identify dental students' perceptions of pre-patient care laboratory exercises (PCLEs) and clinical experiences that influence their future plans for providing implant care. One of two questionnaires was administered to dental student classes at one dental school (D2: Survey 1; D3 and D4: Survey 2). Future plans as graduates to provide implant diagnosis and treatment planning (DxTP), restoration of single-tooth implants (STIs), and implant-retained overdentures (IODs) were cross-sectionally assessed along with potential influences such as PCLE, clinical experiences, gender, and class. The majority of students planned to provide implant services after graduation (DxTP 68.9 percent; STI 61.2 percent; IOD 62.1 percent). Bivariately, males reflected more preparedness from PCLEs than females (p=.002) and the D2 students more than D3 and D4 students (p<.001). Multivariate models revealed the perceived preparedness from PCLEs generally had the strongest association with future plans for performing implant therapy. However, this varied by gender and class. These findings indicate that PCLEs are important for their influence on students' future plans to provide implant therapy. However, further studies are needed to validate actual PCLEs and clinical implant practices (both longitudinally and for other schools) and to determine educational interventions to optimize the provision of implant care. (+info)