Learning Styles Preferences of First Year Medical Students Of J N Medical College Belgaum: A Single Institute Experience In Karnataka, India.

Abstracts: Background: Researchers agree that in addition to cognitive factor, non-cognitive factors like learning style are predictors of performance. Students use different sensory modalities for assembling knowledge and information. This study was aim to recognize preferred learning styles of first year medical students at KLE university’s J N Medical college Belgaum India. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on 150 consented students .The students were subjected to VARK learning style questionnaire to identify their learning styles preferences. The questionnaires which identify four learning style preferences/modes as visual (v), auditory (A), read and write(R) and kinaesthetic (K). Descriptive statistics was used to identify the learning styles of the students. Results: Hundred present students preferred multimodal style of learning, while 92%preferred quadrimodal, 7% trimodal , 1% bimodal. Among the four learning style preferences it was found that 99% of them preferred kinaesthetic, followed by, auditory, read/ write and visual modality. Conclusion: This study gives insight that no single teaching –learning strategy can work for effective teaching learning in medical students. Faculty teaching first year medical students has to adopt multi modal teaching-learning strategies to create effective teaching and learning environment.

Spatio-temporal variations in adult density, abdominal status & indoor resting pattern of Culex quinquefasciatus Say in Panaji, Goa, India.

Background & objectives: Goa is one of the filariasis endemic states of India. However, information on density pattern and resting behavior of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, the principal vector of filariasis in Goa is lacking. Therefore, current longitudinal study was undertaken to investigate these aspects. Methods: Panaji was divided into six zones and a total of 240 man hours were spent in 60 fixed catching sites to collect the adult Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes on fortnightly basis from indoor resting sites during 2005-06. The female mosquitoes were classified as unfed, fed, semi-gravid and gravid to ascertain the resting behavior of Cx. quinquefasciatus adults. The data were analysed to evaluate the spatio-temporal variations in adult density, abdominal status and indoor resting sites and linked to meteorological variables like temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days. Results: Cx. quinquefasciatus adults were prevalent perennially in Panaji with highest per man hour density of females (48.6) in February and the lowest density (6.6) in September. Monthly variations in the densities between different months was significant (F=15.3; P<0.05). Rainfall significantly influenced the population of Cx. quinquefasciatus (t=2.63; P<0.05). Fed group and semi-gravid group showed a strong correlation with the relative humidity (P<0.05), rain fall (P<0.05) and number of rainy days (P<0.05). 62.4 per cent of females and 65.1 per cent of males preferred to rest on hanging objects. Spatio-temporal variations in the number of Cx. quinquefasciatus females and males resting on different sites and also the variations in different sites (P<0.05) were significant. Interpretation & conclusion: The density of female Cx. quinquefasciatus encountered in all the months was higher than the estimated tolerated level of density of 34 per ten man hours up to which there is no risk of filariasis transmission. The strong correlation between the abdominal conditions and relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days imply that these meteorological variables significantly influenced the feeding and fecundity of the species. 85.3 per cent of the indoor resting population comprising of fed, semi-gravid and gravid females confirmed the endophilic nature of the species. The preferential resting behavior of both females and males on hanging objects suggest that use of insecticide treated long-lasting bed nets as personal protective measure can be exploited to reduce the density of the vector species.

Efficacy of two commercially available dentifrices in reducing dentinal hypersensitivity.

Objective: A parallel design clinical study evaluated reduction in hypersensitivity after brushing for 12 weeks with Anchor toothpaste (containing potassium citrate, zinc citrate, triclosan and sodium monofluorophosphate) (test) and Colgate Total (sodium fluoride, silica, triclosan and copolymer) (control) dentifrices. Materials and Methods: Sixty adults with sensitivity to hot and cold stimulus in at least two tooth surfaces were stratified at the baseline examination by tactile, hot and cold stimuli scores in two balanced groups. Subjects were randomly allocated the test and control dentifrices and evaluated after 6 and 12 weeks of dentifrice use for hypersensitivity. Results: The two teeth that were selected in each patient were designated as two different sets. The 12 th -week scores as compared to baseline scores for tactile, heat and cold tests in the test group showed a reduction in tooth hypersensitivity by 36.67% (P < 0.01), 20.35% (P < 0.01) and 53.64 % (P < 0.01), respectively, in the first set of teeth and 43.75% (P < 0.01), 24.48% (P < 0.01) and 59.78% (P < 0.01), respectively, in the second set of teeth. The 12 th -week scores as compared to baseline scores for tactile, heat and cold tests in the control group showed a reduction in tooth hypersensitivity by 42.86% (P < 0.01), 13.02% (P < 0.01) and 45.14% (P < 0.01), respectively, in the first set of teeth and 40% (P < 0.01), 16.59% (P < 0.01) and 44.16% (P < 0.01), respectively, in the second set of teeth. Conclusions: Both the products reduced dentinal hypersensitivity in the study subjects at the end of the 12-week period. However, there was no statistically significant difference in reduction in hypersensitivity between the two products.

Use of the generalized linear models in data related to dental caries index.

The aim of this study is to encourage and initiate the application of generalized linear models (GLMs) in the analysis of the covariates of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index data, which is not necessarily normally distributed. GLMs can be performed assuming underlying many distributions; in fact Poisson distribution with log built-in link function and binomial distribution with Logit and Probit built-in link functions are considered. The Poisson model is used for modeling the DMFT index data and the Logit and Probit models are employed to model the dichotomous outcome of DMFT = 0 and DMFT not equal to 0 (caries free/caries present). The data comprised 7188 subjects aged 18-30 years from the study on the oral health status of Karnataka state conducted by SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, India. The Poisson model and binomial models (Logit and Probit) displayed dissimilarity in the outcome of results at 5% level of significance ( P <0.05). The binomial models were a poor fit, whereas the Poisson model showed a good fit for the DMFT index data. Therefore, a suitable modeling approach for DMFT index data is to use a Poisson model for the DMFT response and a binomial model for the caries free and caries present (DMFT = 0 and DMFT not equal to 0). These GLMs allow separate estimation of those covariates which influence the magnitude of caries.

Proximate determinants of demand for oral health care in the surveyed households of Dharwad city, Karnataka India.

The study was undertaken to identify the factors influential in determining the demand for oral health care in the surveyed households of Dharwad city. Karnataka during May-July 2001. Dharwad city was divided into nine divisions in 1991 census, in which four divisions were selected at random. A sample of 70 households was selected randomly from each division. A total of 1381 persons from 280 households only 208 persons were reported with various oral health problems during reference period of study. A significant positive relationship was observed between oral health care expenditure with the total number of visits (r = 0.4160, P < 0.01), the education of the sick person (r = 0.1983, p < 0.05), and the highest level of education among females (r = 0.1475, P < 0.05) and a significant negative relationship was observed between time gap between onset of disease and contact of health care centre (r = -0.1449, P < 0.05) and family size (r = -0.1518, P < 0.05) with expenditure. Path analysis results showed that, the duration of illness episode, the total number of visits to source of care during the reference period and distance between health care from the residence of the households (in km) are important variables in explaining increased oral health care expenditure.