Educational strategies for oral assistance for the disabled and their effects on dentistry students' formation: A systematic review.

AIMS: This systematic review aimed to analyze the influence of educational strategies for oral health care for Persons with disabilities (PwDs) on the technical, ethical, and social training of undergraduate dental students. METHODS AND RESULTS: An extensive search was performed in the following databases: Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS/BBO and OpenGrey database. Observational, nonrandomized, and quantitative comparisons before and after some type of educational strategy in undergraduate dentistry was included. The risk of bias was assessed using the risk of bias in nonrandomized intervention studies (ROBINS-I) tool. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Nine were included and suggested that a significant improvement was observed in the technical training of undergraduate dental students although there was no consensus on the acquisition of ethical/social competences after the application of educational strategies. The included studies presented a moderate to serious risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence for both, technical and ethical/social evaluative constructs, as very low. CONCLUSION: Although studies show that awareness regarding PwD significantly increases technical skills in dental students, the evidence is poor due to the high risk of bias and inconsistency observed in both the technical and ethical/social constructs; further studies on this topic are therefore essential. Prospero: (CRD42021288463).

Educational strategies in oral healthcare for the disabled and their effects on dental students' training.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of didactic and clinical training of dental students in treating Persons with Disabilities (PwD) on their self-perceptions about treating PWD. METHODS: A pre-and postevaluation of a didactic-clinical educational strategy targeting oral health care of PwD was conducted among fourth-year undergraduate dental students at a Brazilian dental school. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to assess the following work environment parameters: technical, organizational, social, ethical, and managerial acumen. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact and chi-square tests, with a significance level of 5% (p < 0.05), to verify possible associations between the quantitative variables. A qualitative analysis was conducted through collective subject discourse. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the self-perception of students' knowledge and abilities in providing low-complexity care for PwD before and after the training program (p = 0.025). Students were more confident about managing and organizing the work environment (p = 0.007) and providing humanized care to PwD (p = 0.042) posttraining program. Additionally, a decrease in the feeling of insecurity (p = 0.014) and feelings of pity, fear, or prejudice toward PwD (p < 0.001) were observed posttraining program. CONCLUSIONS: Didactic and clinical training interventions for treating PwD improved the work environment of undergraduate dental students in technical, managerial, organizational, and ethical/social dimensions.

The influence of kinematics of engine-driven nickel-titanium instruments on root canal shape assessed by micro-computed tomography: a systematic review.

AIM: To evaluate if the kinematics of engine-driven instruments affect the root canal shape. METHOD: The systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42017077043). A broad search was performed for articles published before 26 September 2018 in the electronic databases: pubmed, scopus, web of science and Lilacs using MeSH and free terms. Only in vitro studies with human teeth that evaluated root canal shape by volume, surface area and unprepared surface area using reciprocating and rotary system assessed by micro-computed tomography were included. A modified checklist for randomized controlled trials from the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to assess the risk of bias. RESULTS: Twenty-one articles were selected. According to quality assessment, all studies were considered 'moderate methodological quality'. Eighteen articles analysed volume increase, only four studies showed statistically significant difference, three indicating that the reciprocating movement obtained a greater increase in volume than the rotary system and one rotary system obtained a greater increase. Twelve studies analysed surface area, only three studies showed statistically significant difference, two presented a reciprocating system revealing greater amount of surface area and one showed a rotary system obtained a greater amount of surface area. Ten articles evaluated unprepared surface area, two studies that analysed total length, one study presented that the rotary system revealed lower unprepared surface area while another study showed reciprocating with less unprepared area. One study analysed middle and apical third, and observed that the rotary system presented lower unprepared surface area in the middle third. CONCLUSIONS: Both the rotary and reciprocating kinematics produce changes in volume and surface area and leave unprepared areas in the root canal, however reciprocating system showed greater increase of volume and surface area, while the rotary system maintains less unprepared surface area.