ARS was found to significantly improve student concentration and participation in small group seminar teaching and significantly improved knowledge retention. ARS may be useful in facilitating orthodontic teaching in the future.
As the health and expectations of the UK population improve, demand for orthodontic treatment is increasing. This article will examine who actually needs orthodontic treatment and who is currently receiving it, while also providing an opinion on the the risks versus benefits in providing demand-led treatment.
Aim To determine whether dental registrants can use the dental health component (DHC) and aesthetic component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) 'accurately' to an acceptable level of agreement and diagnostic validity.Method Participants from six different registrant groups were asked to score the IOTN for 14 cases based on study models and photographs as well as completing a short questionnaire. Participants in the study were all recruited at study days and annual conferences. The main outcome measures include the different registrant groups IOTN scores compared to expert panel scores using kappa statistics. To assess for diagnostic validity, individual participants sensitivity and specificity scores were calculated.Result Overall, 229 registrants took part in the study. For the DHC the specialist orthodontist (SO), postgraduate orthodontic student (PGOS) and the qualified orthodontic therapist (QOT) groups achieved a mean kappa ≥0.60 indicating 'acceptable' agreement with the expert panel scores. The dental foundation trainee (DFT) and general dental practitioner (GDP) group achieved a mean kappa of 0.20 and 0.22 respectively indicating poor and fair agreement. The student orthodontic therapist (SOT) group achieved a mean kappa of 0.55 indicating moderate agreement. For the AC none of the registrant groups achieved an acceptable level of agreement with the mean kappa scores for the different groups ranging from kappa 0.13-0.21, indicating poor to fair agreement.Conclusion Overall agreement for the DHC was varied for the different registrant groups ranging from fair to substantial agreement. Registrants were better at applying the DHC compared to the AC with agreement ranging from poor to fair. More needs to done to help registrants use the IOTN more 'accurately'.
Aim To understand the frequency of use and training of IOTN amongst dental registrants working in primary and secondary care. To ascertain which factors influence 'accuracy' of IOTN amongst dental registrants.Method Participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire at the same time as scoring the IOTN for 14 cases. The questionnaire was developed by the authors of this study to understand registrants' place of work, frequency of use of IOTN and training undertaken in IOTN. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to reveal which predictor factors best described a registrant's knowledge of IOTN.Results The mean kappa scores were the highest for participants working in secondary care (K = 0.68) when compared to those solely working in primary care. The SO and GDP groups were found to be the groups with the largest proportion of participants using IOTN on a daily basis. Only the participants that used the IOTN everyday achieved an acceptable mean DHC K >0.60. There is an increasing trend of mean DHC kappa scores evident with increasing frequency of use of IOTN. All participants had received training in the use of IOTN with the majority (n = 181/229) having their last episode of training within the last five years. The majority of the training received in IOTN was classified as being verifiable (n = 154/229) with the remainder classifying their training as non-verifiable. Two predictor variables were found to have a significant influence on the DHC kappa scores, which included registrant group and place of work. Only one of the predictor variables had a statistically significant influence on the AC kappa scores, which was the type of CPD, with participants who had received non-verifiable CPD having a lower kappa scores.Conclusion Place of work, frequency of use of IOTN and registrant group were the main factors which were found to influence accuracy of use of IOTN. This study has highlighted a need for greater support in terms of resources, training and tools to help dental registrants use the IOTN more accurately to an acceptable level.
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