Precision of the virtual occlusal record.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the precision of the virtual occlusal record using the Carestream CS3600 Intraoral Scanner (Carestream Dental, Atlanta, Ga). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 participants were recruited for this prospective study using preestablished inclusion/exclusion criteria. A complete intraoral scan and two bite registrations were obtained. The participants were instructed to bite with normal pressure when bite registrations were acquired. Contact locations, size (circumference), and intensity were identified on the maxillary first molars and canines. Agreement between contact size and intensity was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients. Kappa statistics evaluated agreement in contact locations. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: All participant data were included for statistical analysis. Between the two bite registrations, nonstatistically significant differences were observed in the proportion of locations with contacts (P = .7681). A nonstatistically significant difference (-0.25 mm, P = .8416) in mean contact circumference size was observed. A statistically significant difference in mean contact intensity was observed (P = .0448). When evaluating agreement between the bite registrations, a weak correlation for size (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.35) and intensity (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.32) was observed as well as a moderate agreement for contact location (κ coefficient = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the Carestream intraoral scanner software possesses adequate precision when acquiring the location and size of the contacts in bite registrations. The scanner failed to demonstrate adequate precision when acquiring contact intensities in bite registrations. Additional research is warranted to further investigate the precision of virtual occlusal records with currently available software systems.

Predictors of orthodontic residency performance: An assessment of scholastic and demographic selection parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between resident selection criteria, including Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and student performance in an orthodontic residency program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated the academic records of 70 orthodontic residency graduates from the Indiana University School of Dentistry. The following demographic and scholastic data were extracted from the student academic records: applicant age, gender, ethnicity, race, country of origin, dental school graduation year, GRE score, and graduate orthodontic grade point average (GPA). In addition, student American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) written examination quintiles were obtained from the ABO. Scatterplots, analysis of variance, and correlation coefficients were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was established at .05 for the study. RESULTS: No associations were found with any component of the GRE, except with the quantitative GRE section, which displayed a weak association with ABO module 2 scores. Dental school GPA demonstrated weak correlations with all ABO modules and moderate correlations with overall and didactic orthodontic GPAs. When assessing demographic factors, significant differences (P < .05) were observed, with the following groups demonstrating higher performance on certain ABO modules: age (younger), race (whites), and country of origin (US citizens). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the GRE has no association with student performance in an orthodontic residency. However, dental school GPA and/or class rank appear to be the strongest scholastic predictors of residency performance.