Preliminary Performance of the Advanced Dental Admission Test (ADAT): Association Between ADAT Scores and Other Variables for Applicants to Residency Programs at a U.S. Dental School

Historically, dental residency programs have used numerical assessment criteria to evaluate and identify qualified candidates for admission. Recent elimination of such assessment tools has undermined many programs’ holistic evaluation process. The Advanced Dental Admission Test (ADAT) was developed and recently piloted in hopes of addressing this issue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the preliminary performance and validity of the ADAT by exploring the association between ADAT scores and other variables for a sample of applicants to residency programs. The WebAdMIT admissions database was used to identify the test scores and educational and demographic information of 92 individuals who completed the pilot ADAT and were seeking a 2017 postgraduate specialty position at Indiana University School of Dentistry. The results showed that the ADAT had strong to weak correlations with certain applicant variables (p<0.05). No significant differences were found for age, race, school location, or country of origin. However, males performed better than females (p<0.05), and non-Hispanics performed better than Hispanics (p<0.01). ADAT component scores were also higher for individuals with a history of research activity (p<0.05). This study found that significant associations existed between the ADAT and indices typically associated with competitive applicants. These findings suggest that the ADAT may serve as a useful numerical assessment instrument, with the potential to identify high-performing candidates. Furthermore, the ADAT seemed to be a plausible option for programs seeking to incorporate a quantitative assessment instrument as part of a holistic candidate selection process

Histomorphological Comparison of Platelet Rich Fibrin Combinations for Ridge Preservation.

PosterBackground: Most commonly used techniques to preserve ridge dimensions following tooth extraction involve bone substitutes and membranes to cover the graft. The use of autologous Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) is a recent introduction to be used as a membrane as well as mixed with the graft material. PRF is an inexpensive autologous gel enriched with platelets from venous blood that is easily processed in a clinical setting and contains growth factors including PDGF, TGF-β, VEGF, EGF and IGF1. The aim of this case report is to compare the histomorphologic results of various combinations of PRF, freeze dried bone allograft (FDBA) and polylactic acid membranes (Guidor) in extraction sockets in a single patient. Material and Methods: A 49-year old female patient with a 12 pack-year smoking history presented for extraction of maxillary teeth for an implant retained complete denture. On the day of surgery, 40ml of venous blood was drawn and centrifuged to produce four PRF gels. Two PRF gels were minced and mixed with FDBA. Two clots were processed to be used as membranes to cover the sockets. Teeth #s 4, 6, 11, and 13 were extracted with minimal trauma and sockets were thoroughly debrided. Varying combination of FDBA, PRF, and Guidor membranes were used for ridge preservation grafting in the four sockets. Four and half months following extraction, trephine cores were taken at the time of implant placement and submitted for histological analysis. Results: Clinical healing was uneventful at all sockets but soft tissue healing appeared slightly rapid on sites covered with PRF membranes. However, histologic healing showed more vital bone formation around residual graft materials with Guidor membranes sites. Conclusions: Within the limits of this case report, although PRF membranes seemed to slightly enhance soft tissue healing, the use of Guidor membranes appeared to improve bone remodeling

Assessing the Medical Emergency Preparedness of Dental Faculty, Residents, and Practicing Periodontists: An Exploratory Study

With the increased number of elderly and medically compromised individuals receiving dental care and the presence of systemic comorbidities and associated treatment modalities in this patient population, it is imperative that dentists be prepared to manage a variety of medical emergencies. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of and preparedness to manage common medical emergencies of cohorts of practicing periodontists, specialty residents, and faculty members, both for comparative purposes and as an aid to refining a dental school’s standardized case scenarios. The study, conducted in 2017, was designed for four groups of randomly selected participants with at least 20 in each group; the actual number of voluntary participants was 28 private practice periodontists, 22 residents in specialty programs, 21 specialist faculty members, and 24 general practice faculty members. Participants were asked to evaluate ten clinical emergency cases and identify the diagnosis and indicated intervention for each. Groups were also evaluated for differences among correct responses for each case. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences for number of correct diagnoses or interventions among the four groups. However, several cases had varying degrees of incorrect diagnoses and management across all groups. Participants who had recently graduated or were still in school were able to treat cases appropriately more often than the other participants. Further refinement of cases to assess provider preparedness to correctly diagnose and manage medical emergencies is needed, specifically establishing case-specific features and addressing areas of potential confusion before the cases are used for educational purposes

Assessment of the Calibration of Periodontal Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Among Dental Students at Three Dental Schools

Calibration in diagnosis and treatment planning is difficult to achieve due to variations that exist in clinical interpretation. To determine if dental faculty members are consistent in teaching how to diagnose and treat periodontal disease, variations among dental students can be evaluated. A previous study reported high variability in diagnoses and treatment plans of periodontal cases at Indiana University School of Dentistry. This study aimed to build on that one by extending the research to two additional schools: Marquette University School of Dentistry and West Virginia University School of Dentistry. Diagnosis and treatment planning by 40 third- and fourth-year dental students were assessed at each of the schools. Students were asked to select the diagnosis and treatment plans on a questionnaire pertaining to 11 cases. Their responses were compared using chi-square tests, and multirater kappa statistics were used to assess agreement between classes and between schools. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the effects of school, class year, prior experience, and GPA/class rank on correct responses. One case had a statistically significant difference in responses between third- and fourth-year dental students. Kappas for school agreement and class agreement were low. The students from Indiana University had higher diagnosis and treatment agreements than the Marquette University students, and the Marquette students fared better than the West Virginia University students. This study can help restructure future periodontal courses for a better understanding of periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning

Assessing Effectiveness of an Audiovisual Educational Tool for Improving Dental Students' Probing Depth Consistency

Dental students often underestimate their probing depth (PD) measurements, which emphasizes the need for effective and novel methods for teaching proper probing technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of audiovisual learning aids, recorded from the point of view of examiners, for improvement in PD agreement in dental students. In 2017‐18, 22 third‐year dental students were randomized into test and control groups. Each student and a single blinded faculty examiner performed PD measurements on a minimum of three patients. The test group viewed a video demonstrating proper probing technique, while the control group received only probing technique instruction from prior lectures. All measurements, the periodontal diagnoses, and the total time taken to complete PD measurements were recorded. A survey of student attitudes about the audiovisual tool was conducted after the intervention; all 22 students completed the survey. A total of 11,426 PD sites were measured. The test group had 10% greater accuracy in PD sites=4 mm. The control group had a minor but statistically significant increase in accuracy for 2 mm PD sites. For all incorrect measurements at sites PD≥4, the students tended to underestimate the PD. Tooth type, site location around tooth, and diagnosis had no significant effect on PD measurement agreement. No significant difference between groups was found for the proportions of gingivitis and periodontitis patients or for examination time. This study found that use of the audiovisual learning aid “Calibrated Periodontal Training Video” improved the students' probing depth accuracy for sites with PD of 4 mm

Recruitment, Development, and Retention of Dental Faculty in a Changing Environment

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153771/1/jddj002203372011751tb05026x.pd

Canine impaction – A review of the prevalence, etiology, diagnosis and treatment

The signs and symptoms of canine impaction can vary, with patients only noticing symptoms when they are suffering from unsightly esthetics, faulty occlusion, or poor cranio-facial development. While various surgical interventions have been proposed to expose and help erupt impacted canines, these treatment modalities have a high degree of difficulty compared to other types of dental cosmetic surgeries. This paper focuses on multi-disciplinary strategies for treating and managing canine impaction, reviews patient and clinical selection criteria, and discusses the evidence underlying existing interventions to reduce complications and improve patient-centered outcomes following treatment

Correlation between Advanced Dental Admission Test performance and dental MATCH success

Purpose/Objectives The Advanced Dental Admissions Test was developed in 2016 to aid residency programs evaluate qualified applicants. Since its conception, however, there have been no studies seeking to evaluate the usefulness of the exam regarding an applicants’ ability to match with a residency program through the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program (MATCH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Advanced Dental Admission Test performance on student MATCH success into a post-doctoral pediatric residency program. Methods This retrospective study evaluated the academic records of pediatric residency applicants using the ADEA PASS and MATCH program between 2017 and 2019. Five scholastic and 7 demographic variables were extracted from student ADEA PASS applications. Applicant MATCH status and preference was obtained from the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program. Descriptive statistics for each application cycle was calculated and used to evaluate applicant demographic and scholastic data. Correlation coefficients assessed for associations between scholastic/demographic factors and MATCH status/preference. Logistic regression models estimated the probability of MATCH status/preference. Significance was set at 5%. Results An association was found between ADAT scores and MATCH status, but the influence was minimal (odds ratio: 1.004, 95% confidence interval: 1.001-1.008). Applicant age (P < 0.0216) and dental schools that ranked students (P < 0.0002) were the most significant factors for MATCH status and preference, respectively. Conclusions ADAT scores played a minimal role in applicants matching to pediatric residency programs. Applicant age and schools that provide class ranks were found to be significant predictors when considering MATCH status and preference to pediatric residency programs

Periodontal Health and Systemic Conditions

According to the new classification proposed by the recent 2017 World Workshop on Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases and Conditions, periodontitis, necrotizing periodontal diseases, periodontitis as a manifestation of systemic diseases, and systemic diseases or conditions affecting the periodontal supporting tissues, are considered as separate entities. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that periodontal diseases are not just simple bacterial infections but rather complex diseases of multifactorial complexity that interplay with the subgingival microbes, the host immune, and inflammatory responses. Despite dental plaque biofilm being considered the primary risk factor for periodontitis in the vast majority of patients that dentists encounter on a daily basis, there are other factors that can also contribute and/or accelerate pathologic progressive attachment loss. In this article, the authors aim to briefly review and discuss the present evidence regarding the association between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases and conditions