Educational Outcomes of Small-Group Discussion Versus Traditional Lecture Format in Dental Students\u27 Learning and Skills Acquisition.

The aim of this prospective quantitative study was to compare the effect of different instructional formats on dental students\u27 skills and knowledge acquisition for access cavity preparation. All first-year dental students were invited to participate in this study conducted during the four consecutive two-week endodontic rotation courses at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in spring semester 2015. Four alphabetically distributed intact groups of students were randomly allocated to two groups (n=70 each) that participated in either small-group discussion or a traditional lecture on access preparation. The first outcome measure was skill acquisition, measured by the quality of access cavities prepared in extracted teeth at the conclusion of the session. Two blinded raters scored direct observations on a continuous scale. Knowledge, the second outcome measure, was scored with a multiple-choice and open-ended question test at the end of each two-week session. Data were obtained for 134 of the 140 students, for a 96% response rate. The results showed that students in the small-group discussion groups scored significantly higher than those in the lecture groups when skill performance was tested (p=8.9 × 10(-7)). However, no significant differences were found in the acquisition of knowledge between the two groups on the written test. Active student participation was significantly related to improved manual skill acquisition, but the format of the session does not seem to have had a direct influence on acquired knowledge

Practical Lessons in Endodontic Treatment

This companion to the popular book Practical Lessons in Endodontic Surgery offers expert guidance to clinicians who have limited experience in the nonsurgical procedures involved in root canal therapy. Synthesizing the very latest clinical concepts and technologies with tried-and-true traditional treatment methods, it introduces readers to the challenges associated with nonsurgical endodontics and delivers realistic solutions in a clear, step-by-step, “lesson-based” format. Each of the 42 lessons offers useful, workable, and, above all, practical information and recommendations covering a specific aspect of endodontic care. Readers expand their knowledge incrementally, beginning with the essentials of patient diagnosis, examination, and record-keeping and progressing through lessons concerned with treatment planning and preparation for therapy; root canal instrumentation and obturation; and emergency and adjunctive procedures.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/dugoni-facbooks/1022/thumbnail.jp

Practical Lessons in Endodontic Treatment

This companion to the popular book Practical Lessons in Endodontic Surgery offers expert guidance to clinicians who have limited experience in the nonsurgical procedures involved in root canal therapy. Synthesizing the very latest clinical concepts and technologies with tried-and-true traditional treatment methods, it introduces readers to the challenges associated with nonsurgical endodontics and delivers realistic solutions in a clear, step-by-step, “lesson-based” format. Each of the 42 lessons offers useful, workable, and, above all, practical information and recommendations covering a specific aspect of endodontic care. Readers expand their knowledge incrementally, beginning with the essentials of patient diagnosis, examination, and record-keeping and progressing through lessons concerned with treatment planning and preparation for therapy; root canal instrumentation and obturation; and emergency and adjunctive procedures.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/dugoni-facbooks/1022/thumbnail.jp

The double-edged sword of calcium hydroxide in endodontics Precautions and preventive strategies for extrusion injuries into neurovascular anatomy

Background. Nowhere in the consideration of dental care involving endodontics does a patient become more vulnerable to potentially life-changing injuries than during a root canal procedure on the mandibular dentition that may invade and injure the neurovascular anatomy.Case Description. The authors present a series of 5 cases wherein using calcium hydroxide as a disinfection strategy in endodontics caused serious neurologic injury to the treated patients. The mechanism in all cases was the inappropriate use of needle applications resulting in significant overfill into the inferior alveolar nerve space. Although calcium hydroxide has been recognized and used as a meaningful disinfectant in endodontic therapy for many years, the dangers and risks associated with a needle delivery technique are discussed and analyzed with recommendations based on current research to minimize risk.Conclusions and Practical Implications. A literature search revealed that the 5 cases are not solitary cases; indeed, consequences of calcium hydroxide overfills have been described before. Therefore, a clinician initiating root canal therapy on a mandibular posterior tooth should always be mindful of the vital neurovascular anatomy, which commonly approximates the ends of these roots. Preoperative cone-beam computed tomographic imaging and the thoughtful delivery of medicaments in treatment can help the clinician manage close proximity to neural anatomy and avoid potential injuries

Pulp capping with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA): a retrospective analysis of carious pulp exposures treated by undergraduate dental students.

The current study estimated pulpal vitality after MTA pulp caps were performed by undergraduate student clinicians. At recall after 12 to 27 months, 51 pulp caps were clinically and radiographically assessed. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to estimate overall success at 12 and 24 months, determined as the presence of a vital pulp, as well as impact of preoperative variables on pulp vitality at recall. Overall, one-year pulp survival was 67.7%, while the two-year survival rate was 56.2%. Tarone-Ware statistics indicated that neither age of the patient nor size of the exposure ( minimal or moderate ) and the amount of bleeding ( none, minimal or moderate ) had a significant effect on survival rates. Within the limitations of the current study on procedures performed by student clinicians, it may be concluded that, for MTA pulp caps applied to carious exposures in adults, certain preoperative conditions--patient age, exposure size and amount of bleeding--are not predictive of clinical outcome. Considering the comparatively low success rate for the current cohort, more research is needed to define predictive criteria for successful pulp capping with MTA

Educational Outcomes of Small-Group Discussion Versus Traditional Lecture Format in Dental Students\u27 Learning and Skills Acquisition.

The aim of this prospective quantitative study was to compare the effect of different instructional formats on dental students\u27 skills and knowledge acquisition for access cavity preparation. All first-year dental students were invited to participate in this study conducted during the four consecutive two-week endodontic rotation courses at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in spring semester 2015. Four alphabetically distributed intact groups of students were randomly allocated to two groups (n=70 each) that participated in either small-group discussion or a traditional lecture on access preparation. The first outcome measure was skill acquisition, measured by the quality of access cavities prepared in extracted teeth at the conclusion of the session. Two blinded raters scored direct observations on a continuous scale. Knowledge, the second outcome measure, was scored with a multiple-choice and open-ended question test at the end of each two-week session. Data were obtained for 134 of the 140 students, for a 96% response rate. The results showed that students in the small-group discussion groups scored significantly higher than those in the lecture groups when skill performance was tested (p=8.9 × 10(-7)). However, no significant differences were found in the acquisition of knowledge between the two groups on the written test. Active student participation was significantly related to improved manual skill acquisition, but the format of the session does not seem to have had a direct influence on acquired knowledge

Artificial Intelligence in Endodontics

ABSTRACTBackground In recent years, with advancements in science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has been gaining more relevance in the field of dentistry in general, as well as endodontics. AI-guided algorithms have a great potential to better diagnose, treatment plan, and execute endodontic treatments, as well as outcome prediction of the various endodontic treatments. A review of literature was conducted to assess the application of AI in the field of endodontics.Results AI has been used in a variety of clinical applications including the assessment of root canal anatomy, working length, presence of root fractures, and outcome prediction.Conclusion Within the field of endodontics, AI has already been proven to be useful. The evolution of this technology and its continuous application can positively impact the field of endodontics and assist in preserving the natural dentition. Clinical implications: AI is currently being used for specific endodontic applications and possible potential applications in the future horizon

Rotary Versus Reciprocation Root Canal Preparation: Initial Clinical Quality Assessment in a Novice Clinician Cohort

Introduction: Reports comparing clinical outcomes using nickel-titanium (NiTi) reciprocating instruments with other instrumentation modalities are scarce. This study examined initial shaping outcomes after an instrumentation change of root canal instrumentation technique in a doctor of dental surgery educational program. Student characteristics, faculty/student ratio, facility, and overall endodontic treatment guidelines remained unchanged. Methods: A total of 200 nonsurgical initial molar root canal treatments completed by third-year dental students were evaluated. The cases were examined regarding the number of treatment appointments, access cavity preparation, canal taper, canal transportation, perforations, missed canals, presence of ledges, fractured instruments, obturation length, obturation quality, and sealer extrusion. Two independent evaluators determined the number of appointments per case; 4 independent and blinded evaluators analyzed radiographs at 4 treatment stages: preoperative situation, working length, cone fit, and obturation. Results: The following factors were significantly different between the 2 cohorts: the number of appointments, preparation length, taper, and occurrence of ledges. The WaveOne (Dentsply Sirona, York, PA) cohort had a significantly reduced treatment time compared with hand/GT rotary instrumentation (Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK) (average of 3.3 vs 4.3 appointments). Appropriate length control and adequate taper were significantly more frequent in the WaveOne group. The frequency of ledges was significantly larger in the hybrid group. Other variables, such as access cavity preparation, canal transportation, perforations, missed canals, fractured instruments, obturation quality, and sealer extrusion, were statistically similar between the 2 groups. Conclusions: NiTi reciprocation instrumentation was superior to hybrid hand/NiTi rotary instrumentation in reducing both patient appointments and the incidence of ledging and in improving obturation length and taper in a dental student clinic setting

Educational outcomes of small-group discussion versus traditional lecture format in dental students‘ learning and skills acquisition

The aim of this prospective quantitative study was to compare the effect of different instructional formats on dental students’ skills and knowledge acquisition for access cavity preparation. All first-year dental students were invited to participate in this study conducted during the four consecutive two-week endodontic rotation courses at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in spring semester 2015. Four alphabetically distributed intact groups of students were randomly allocated to two groups (n=70 each) that participated in either small-group discussion or a traditional lecture on access preparation. The first outcome measure was skill acquisition, measured by the quality of access cavities prepared in extracted teeth at the conclusion of the session. Two blinded raters scored direct observations on a continuous scale. Knowledge, the second outcome measure, was scored with a multiple-choice and open-ended question test at the end of each two-week session. Data were obtained for 134 of the 140 students, for a 96% response rate. The results showed that students in the small-group discussion groups scored significantly higher than those in the lecture groups when skill performance was tested (p=8.9 x 10). However, no significant differences were found in the acquisition of knowledge between the two groups on the written test. Active student participation was significantly related to improved manual skill acquisition, but the format of the session does not seem to have had a direct influence on acquired knowledge