Conception of an endodontics questionnaire in undergraduate dental education

The purpose of this study was to create a valid assessing instrument using a set of questions to examine preclinical dental education in endodontics. For this reason, we constructed the “German Endodontology Questionnaire” (GEndoQ), which assesses preclinical dental education in endodontics. In recent years and decades, various curricula in preclinical and clinical endodontic education have been evaluated at both national and international levels and the results published. However, the conception of the questionnaires that have been used have never been discussed or published.&nbsp;&nbsp;The GEndoQ was constructed in five phases using the Delphi technique. In the first phase, the questionnaire was generated according to former questionnaires and publications through the first Delphi round and divided into 10 categories. In phases two and three, different expert panellists, such as specialists in endodontology and attendants of a master’s degree programme in endodontology, used the Delphi technique to confirm the content validity of GEndoQ. The newest literature was implemented in phase four. In phase five, GEndoQ was finally completed after multiple abbreviations were included following feedback from the expert panellists who employed the think-aloud method.&nbsp;Within the five phases, GEndoQ Version 5 was created comprising 49 questions in nine categories. This was done using different answer options. The Likert scale with six possible options to choose from was used the most: 1= don’t agree at all; 2= don’t agree; 3= undecided; 4= agree; 5= fully agree, 6= don’t know. Seven questions could be answered in a free text format, while five questions were in a single-choice format, such as yes/no answers. The GEndoQ is a valid instrument for assessing preclinical dental education in endodontics. Future research will focus on further refining and validating the instrument, for example, within a pilot test. Additionally, the questionnaire should be translated into English and validated to make comparisons among international dental faculties easier.&nbsp;</p

Effect of the additive dentine conditioning in all-in-one adhesives on the bonding strength at simulated intrapulpal pressure

The aim of the study was to investigate the infl uence of additive etching of dentine with phosphoric acid on the shear bond strength of two different, self-conditioning, all-in-one adhesives [Adect (ADE), and One-Up-Bond F (OUP)]. Dentine discs from 90 human molars (n = 15 per group) were exposed to penetration by Ringer's solution (60 cm height, 22 °C) by means of a perfusion device. A two-step, self-conditioning adhesive system [Clearfi l SE (CSE)] was used as the control group. The dentine was either treated (+) after preliminary additive etching wssith 36% phosphoric acid for 20 seconds or left untreated (-). Subsequently, the samples were provided with a composite cylinder (Herculite XRV). After thermocycling (5/55 °C, 5000 cycles, 20 s holding time, 4 s transportation time), the shear bond strength (MPa) was determined with a Zwick universal testing machine (feed rate 5 mm/min). Furthermore, parametric Weibull regression models were applied to evaluate whether there was a signifi cant association between shear bond strength and the method of surface conditioning. Weibull analysis was performed using R software (version 2.11.1, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Differences between groups were tested using Wald tests, and p-values below 0.05 were considered signifi cant.</p

Qualitätsmanagement im eLearning in der Medizin: eine Ist-Analyse mit Folgerungen

Introduction: In 2008, the German Council of Science had advised universities to establish a quality management system (QMS) that conforms to international standards. The system was to be implemented within 5 years, i.e., until 2014 at the latest. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a QMS suitable for electronic learning (eLearning) domain of medical education to be used across Germany has meanwhile been identified. Methods: We approached all medical universities in Germany (n=35), using an anonymous questionnaire (8 domains, 50 items). Results: Our results (response rate 46.3%) indicated very reluctant application of QMS in eLearning and a major information deficit at the various institutions. Conclusions: Authors conclude that under the limitations of this study there seems to be a considerable need to improve the current knowledge on QMS for eLearning, and that clear guidelines and standards for their implementation should be further defined.Einleitung: Der Wissenschaftsrat empfahl 2008 den Universitäten innerhalb der nächsten 5 Jahre, d. h. bis spätestens 2014, ein Qualitätsmanagementsystem (QMS), das internationalen Maßstäben entspricht, zu etablieren. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, zu evaluieren, ob es derzeit ein geeignetes QMS für das elektronische Lernen (eLearning) gibt, das speziell im Fach Humanmedizin deutschlandweit eingesetzt werden kann. Methoden: Im Rahmen einer Umfrage wurden mittels eines anonymisierten Fragebogens (8 Domänen, 50 Items) alle Universitäten (n=35) des Fachbereichs Medizin in Deutschland evaluiert. Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse (46,3% Rücklaufquote) zeigen einen nur zögerlichen Einsatz von QMS für eLearning und dass vor Ort ein großes Informationsdefizit herrscht. Schlussfolgerung: Unter Berücksichtigung der Limitationen dieser Studie kann zusammenfassend festgehalten werden, dass erheblicher Bedarf zu bestehen scheint, das existierende Informationsdefizit für QMS eLearning zu mindern, sowie zukünftig genaue Richtlinien und Standards zur Umsetzung zu definieren

Oral-health implications and maintenance needs of Removable Partial Dentures (RPDs) worn during pre-prosthetic treatment

Patients undergoing a variety of pre-prosthetic treatment regimens are commonly provided with a removable partial denture (RPD) to preserve or restore function and esthetics during this interim period. The service duration of such an interim RPD is usually limited by its inexpensive fabrication, and prolonged coverage of the abutment teeth by the denture base and clasp structures can give rise to periodontal and carious lesions. We therefore conducted a study to analyze the oral-health implications and maintenance requirements based on clinical documentation available for 575 interim RPDs covering a mean observation period of 31.21±22.02 (3−158) months.</p