Predictors of preclinical hand skill performance in dental school.

CONTEXT: Preclinical dental school instructors often observe some first-year students develop hand skills required for dental procedures more quickly and more easily than their peers. When questioned regarding prior experience, these advanced students often participated in physical activities that seem to predispose them to adapt their previously learned psychomotor hand skills to those required for dentistry. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the results of an Institutional Review Board approved 22-question survey of various lifelong predental school activities and correlations to first-year and second-year simulation clinic practical exam performance. DESIGN: The survey was taken anonymously at the Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona by 4 consecutive dental school classes of 2017-2020 composed of 560 students, 552 of which responded. The purpose was to discover associations between lifelong activities and practical exam scores that may act as predictors of preclinical ability to develop visualization and psychomotor hand skills required for dental procedures. RESULTS: Higher preclinical practical scores were found to have the most correlation with higher levels of participation in psychomotor, artistic and outdoor physical activities. Participation in computer, musical instrument and culinary activities had no significant correlation, and prior experience in the medical or dental field had a negative correlation. CONCLUSION: The lack of participation in these predisposing lifelong activities may predict slower development of dental hand skills and signal the need for more hands-on tutorial instruction in the simulation clinic so these students do not lag behind their peers.

Prep-Along Facilitated Posterior Crown Preparation in the Preclinical Dental Setting: A Multimedia Approach.

Introduction: Dental students often seek visual aids and demonstrations when attempting to perform new procedures. This video resource provides an adjunctive teaching tool for a crown preparation on an ivorine molar using the "prep-along" method. This method teaches crown preparation in a uniform, step-by-step manner while providing feedback to students after each step. Methods: Prior to the daily simulation clinic session, a calibration session was held for faculty. Following didactic instruction-including principles, criteria, and grading rubric-students participated in the laboratory portion of the course. During this laboratory portion, students viewed a segment of the video, the video was paused, and students attempted that portion of the preparation. The project continued in stages until it was completed. Upon completion, using an electronic grading system, each student performed a self-evaluation, the instructor then performed a blind evaluation, and both student and instructor compared assessments. Results: To obtain feedback, an electronic survey was sent to 285 third- and fourth-year dental students. Ninety-four students completed the survey; 94% responded favorably to this method of instruction. Individual comments were also predominantly positive. Discussion: Preclinical faculty at the Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona use this prep-along for instruction of direct and indirect tooth preparations and restorations. Students participate in this step-by-step process while receiving feedback. Faculty are allowed a structured environment in which to give feedback and instruction at each segment of the preparation. The faculty found that this method of instruction created efficiency and excellence in training surgical hand skills.

Comparison of Postbaccalaureate and Baccalaureate Graduates' Performance in First and Second Years of Dental School.

Postbaccalaureate programs help predental students strengthen their basic science knowledge and improve their study skills before applying or reapplying for dental school admission. A high percentage of postbac students are admitted to and graduate from dental schools, but gaining greater understanding of how well these students perform in key areas of the first two years' curriculum would be useful for the design of those programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate postbac dental students' performance in the D1 and D2 years at one U.S. dental school compared to dental students with a four-year baccalaureate degree only. Performance assessed was the students' dental school grades in basic science courses, in all D1 and D2 didactic courses, and on preclinical simulation lab practical exams. Didactic and practical scores were gathered anonymously for the Classes of 2013-18 at the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (CDMA) at Midwestern University, where postbac students with master's degrees from the affiliated College of Health Sciences made up 6-19% of each class. The two cohorts chosen for comparison were students with baccalaureate degrees only and students with one-year Master of Arts degrees from the College of Health Sciences. The scores of these postbac dental students and their non-postbac peers were found to be comparable in the basic science courses. However, for all the didactic courses combined, the non-postbac cohort had significantly higher mean scores than the postbac cohort for the fall quarter 2 and winter quarter 2 in 2013-15 and all years combined. The practical scores for the two cohorts were not significantly different for any year. Overall, this study demonstrated that the MA program in the College of Health Sciences prepared the postbac students to compete on an equal level with the non-postbac students in the CDMA D1 and D2 curriculum.

Effect of composite warming on shear bond strength.

Several manufacturers produce devices designed to warm composite resins used in restorative dentistry. Previous investigators have examined the effects of heating composite restorative resins prior to placement and polymerization. Heating has been reported to reduce viscosity, improve ease of placement, enhance monomer conversion, and reduce microleakage. The aim of the present study was to compare shear bond strengths of room temperature (22°C) and prewarmed (54°C) restorative composite resin. Extracted bovine mandibular incisors were sectioned sagittally and embedded in acrylic cylinders. Enamel was selectively etched with 37% phosphoric acid, rinsed, and dried. Self-etching primer was applied to both enamel and dentin. Self-etching adhesive was then applied and photopolymerized. Composite resin capsules were then divided into prewarmed and room temperature groups. Fourteen composite specimens prewarmed in an incubator were applied to the prepared enamel and dentin and photopolymerized. Fourteen room temperature composite specimens were likewise placed. After storage in water for 24 hours, all composite specimens were subjected to shear stress testing. The resulting data were analyzed with a t test (P = 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the shear bond strengths of the prewarmed and room temperature composite resin specimens. Warming does not appear to affect bond strength of composite resin bonded to both dentin and enamel.

A Comparison of Seven Predental Postbaccalaureate Programs in Gaining Dental School Acceptance for Their Students.

Predental students are often unsuccessful in gaining admission to dental school because of low academic scores. Many of these students are from economically and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Postbaccalaureate and Master's programs provide these students with the opportunity to raise their grade point averages and/or scores on the Dental Admission Test and then apply or reapply for dental school admission. The aim of this study was to compare seven of these postbac programs and their success rates in gaining dental school admission for their graduates. Data were gathered in 2016 from the directors of dedicated predental postbac programs at seven universities in the United States to compare their programs' duration, size of cohort, and percentage of participants gaining admission to dental school and graduating. These predental postbac programs varied in duration, cohort size, and tuition, but had a similar purpose in preparing students for the rigors of dental school. Most of the programs were small, some were selective for disadvantaged students, and all were heavily focused on biological sciences. The dental school admission rate for participants in these seven programs ranged from 45% to over 95%. Students who gained dental school admission after participating in these programs had a 95-100% graduation rate from dental school. These results demonstrate the success of these seven programs in preparing students to gain admission to and graduation from dental school and contribute to diversifying the population of dental students and thus of practicing dentists.

Using Standardized Patients to Teach Complete Denture Procedures in Second Year of Dental School.

Second-year dental students are commonly instructed on the process of complete denture fabrication with a traditional didactic lecture and preclinical dental laboratory education model. The problem with this limited mode of instruction is that dental students often fail to understand the various chairside procedures required to fabricate a complete denture. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of standardized dental patients to enhance students' understanding of the procedures involved with each appointment in the complete denture process. The Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona created an event using standardized patients in four simulated chairside dental appointments for complete denture instruction of second-year dental students. Each appointment simulated the various sequential chairside procedures required to fabricate complete dentures. Following the didactic and dental laboratory instruction and the standardized patient event, a survey was conducted requesting the students' response to six statements regarding their understanding of the denture fabrication process. Of the 110 students who participated in the instructional events, 107 responded to the survey (97% response rate). These students responded very favorably to the simulated appointments, with the majority agreeing or strongly agreeing that their best understanding of the complete denture process was obtained through the standardized patient experiences. The use of standardized patients in simulated denture fabrication appointments enhanced the educational experience of these students when added to the traditional didactic lecture and preclinical laboratory education format. The experience has since been incorporated into the school's second-year oral health science laboratory curriculum.

Outbreak of Trichinella spiralis infections associated with a wild boar hunted at a game farm in Iowa.

BACKGROUND: Rates of trichinellosis have declined significantly in the United States due to improved pork production practices and public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked pork. In April 2011, the Minnesota Department of Health received a report of presumptive trichinellosis in a 50-year-old man with a history of wild boar consumption. A public health investigation was initiated. METHODS: Medical record reviews and patient and family interviews were conducted. Trichinella species serology was performed on patient and family serum samples, and larval identification was attempted on clinical specimens and meat samples. RESULTS: The index patient harvested a wild boar from an Iowa game farm; he processed the meat after returning home and developed gastrointestinal symptoms 2 days later. Four days after his illness onset, all 5 family members consumed a roast from the boar. The index patient sought healthcare 4 times after illness onset before being definitively diagnosed with trichinellosis. Following initiation of albendazole therapy, the index patient developed atrial fibrillation. One additional family member who processed the raw meat was diagnosed with trichinellosis. Trichinella spiralis larvae were identified in wild boar meat samples. CONCLUSIONS: Trichinellosis has long been recognized as a potential hazard of consuming undercooked wild carnivore meat, and historically has been associated with consumption of pork from domestic swine, but may be unfamiliar to practicing clinicians in the United States. Education of hunters and the broader population on the potential for trichinellosis and the importance of proper handling and cooking meat from wild or free-range animals needs to be reinforced.

Realizing the potential of the genome revolution: the genomes to life program.

The systems biology revolution is proceeding along multiple pathways as different science agencies and the private sector have adopted strategies suited to their particular needs and cultures. To meet this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy has developed the Genomes to Life (GTL) program. A central focus of GTL is environmental microbial biology as a way to approach global environmental problems, and its key goal is to achieve, over the next 10 to 20 years, a basic understanding of thousands of microbes and microbial systems in their native environments. This focus demands that we address huge gaps in knowledge, technology, computing, data storage and manipulation, and systems-level integration.