A pilot study of local anesthesia training using a mixed-reality haptic fidelity model.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: One of the most difficult local anesthetic blocks to master in dentistry is the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). Historically, dental students have practiced local anesthesia on one another. At the University of Colorado, these practice sessions have been limited to one required laboratory session. The predictability and confidence of student IANB success have not been high in the past. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of a novel IANB simulator, built on a three dimensional (3D)-printed mixed-reality haptic model, for second-year dental students to practice on prior to their laboratory session. METHODS: Thirty-nine student participants volunteered to practice with the IANB simulator. Participants were divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Self-reported confidence and injection-specific accuracy were measured during IANB simulator practice and the laboratory session. During lab, partner numbness was assessed as a measure of IANB success. Groups A (n = 20) and B (n = 19) practiced with the simulator before and after laboratory, respectively. Injection domains were not assessed during Group B's practice with the IANB simulator. RESULTS: Self-reported confidence increased for both groups (p < 0.001). However, for anesthetic success, Group A exhibited significantly greater success (52.6%) than Group B (17.6%) (p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Self-reported confidence in performing an IANB improved and higher anesthetic success was achieved for Group A. Further investigation is necessary to determine the long-term impact of using the IANB simulator in dental education.

Dental Students' Reflections on Quality of Periodontal Care in Dental School Clinics.

The aim of this study was to analyze dental students' descriptions of and reflections on the periodontal care they provided for their patients in dental school clinics. All students enrolled in the final year of the DDS program in 2011-14 at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine were required to complete a self-assessment of the periodontal care they provided for patients. Assessments from 263 students were compiled and qualitatively analyzed. The key reasons given for not providing good care were identified and then stratified as student/school-dependent or patient-dependent factors. Among these students, 63.1% reported that the periodontal care they provided for their patients was inadequate. Some of the student/school-dependent factors were multiple providers involved in patient care (22.8%), student oversight (21.3%), licensure and academic requirements (20.9%), limited clinic operator sessions (19.4%), clinical rotations to other sites (18.3%), and students' interest in/emphasis on other areas of dentistry (17.9%). Some of the patient-dependent factors were patient scheduling compliance (61.6%), patient finances (46.4%), medical status (20.5%), urgent dental needs (18.3%), emphasis only on restorative care (17.5%), periodontal care awareness (16.4%), and patients' oral hygiene compliance (11.5%). This analysis of students' attitudes, challenges they faced, and patient-related factors that influenced the delivery of periodontal care helped to facilitate changes in the curriculum and school policies to optimize clinical instruction and patient care in periodontics.