Learning preferences of dental students at Islamabad medical and dental College

The purpose of this study was to measure the distribution of learning preferences of 1[st] and 2[nd] year dental students at Islamabad Medical and Dental College. Each individual has learning styles in various combinations; as a teacher were need to use all four ourselves recognizing that each student may have a preference of acquiring information and skill in one style over another. As students progress it is important for us to match our teaching method to their task specific needs. To determine the learning style preferences, the VARK questionnaire was administered. Student questionnaires were scored and tabulated to determine the distribution of VARK preferences. 52% of respondents preferred a single mode of learning, 36% were bimodal, 8% tri modal and 4% were quad modal. Results clearly demonstrate that Dental students' preferred kinesthetic and aural learning at a higher percentage. Dental students may be more skilled at some tasks and less in others; it is important that our teaching/ coaching methods are matched to their learning preference and to each task

effect of resin coating technique on shear bond strength

The purpose of this study was to investigate the shear bond strength of metal discs luted to dentine using Resin Coating Technique. In this study the adhesives used were dentine bonding agents, namely, Clearfil SE Bond and Syntac Sprint which were applied one week prior to cementation of Cobalt Chromium [Co-Cr] alloy discs to determine if there was any increase in the bond strengths when later luted using Panavia F and Variolink II. Thus there were four test groups with twelve teeth in each group i.e. Group I:Panavia F, Group II: Clearfil SE Bond I Panavia F, Group III: Variolink Hand Group IV: Syntac Sprint I Variolinkll. The mean shear bond strengths for the four test groups were recorded and the data were compared. It was found that the bond strengths increased significantly with the coating of the dentine bonding agents

Orthodontic record keeping: a study

The Miller-Keane Encyclopedia of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, 5[th] Edition, describes records as "a permanent or long-lasting account of something". The importance of comprehensive orthodontic records cannot be overemphasized. Orthodontic records should not only include the initial data, but all information related to the patient's treatment, throughout treatment. Records must be permanent, lasting, durable and remain unaltered. The production, retention and archiving of clear and accurate patient records is an essential part of the orthodontists professional responsibility. The objective of this study was to determine the trend of orthodontic record keeping amongst dentists in the twin cities. Data revealed high percentage of dentists keeping good pre-treatment records, however failing to keep good progress and post treatment records

Comparison of shear bond strength of metal castings luted to dentine using resin cements

The purpose of this study was to investigate the shear bond strength of metal discs luted to dentine. In this study three resin luting cements i.e. Panavia F [Group I], Variolink II [Group II] and Superbond C and B [Group III] were compared to demonstrate which material was more superior to bond sandblasted cobalt chromium alloy to dentine. Groups I, II and III were compared using ANOVA, P < 0.05. Panavia F demonstrated significantly higher bond strengths than Variolink II or SuperBond C and B. SuperBond C and B had significantly higher shear bond strength than Variolink II. Thus, there were significant differences among the tested resin luting cements for bonding metal discs. Panavia F was found to give the highest shear bond strength within the limitations of this study followed by Superbond C and B and Variolink II