Current BSPD guidelines recommend rubber dam usage for many restorative procedures; however, it would appear that there is wide variability in the application, as well as under-use, of rubber dam.

The results from this pilot study would suggest no increased benefit, in terms of treatment completion, from the additional use of sevoflurane in combination with nitrous oxide and oxygen. There was, however, a small but significant patient preference in favour of nitrous oxide with sevoflurane and oxygen.

Tooth morphology has been taught at the University of Aberdeen Dental School, United Kingdom, through self-directed workshops, using online handouts and tooth models. Tooth carving sessions were recently added to introduce manual skills training through learning tooth morphology at an early stage of the dental course. The aim of this study was to assess students' perception of both teaching modalities to evaluate their usefulness and to allow further course development. The subjects of this study were irst-year dental students. Students' opinions were sought upon completion of the tooth morphology sessions using a structured questionnaire that investigated their views about the effectiveness of both learning methods. The results suggest that self-directed workshops represent an effective way of learning tooth morphology; however, the students recommended further development of the course to make it more focused. Although students questioned the value of the carving sessions, they agreed that it helped to develop their manual dexterity, which was one of the main objectives of the exercise. Further review and development of the course is required in addition to follow-up of the students' performance in clinical skills to further elucidate any advantages of tooth carving to advocate it as a mode of learning.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a black copper cement (BCC), an established restorative material (a conventional glass ionomer cement) and two temporary restorative materials (a zinc phosphate and a zinc polycarboxylate cement) on the growth of Streptococcus mutans in vitro, and to correlate bacterial growth with ion release from each material. Test specimens were eluted in either 0.1 M lactic acid, pH 4, or 0.1 M sodium chloride, pH 7. At 2 days, 7 days, 28 days and 6 months, eluates were inoculated with S. mutans and bacterial growth was recorded. Metal ion (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Mg²⁺) and fluoride release were measured. At most immersion times, the different materials had a statistically significant inhibitory effect on bacterial growth compared to the respective control, at both pH levels. The inhibitory effect decreased with time and in most cases was associated with high levels of ion release at the beginning of the experimental period, followed by significantly lower levels. For BCC, there were statistically significant relationships between the median rates of growth of S. mutans in the presence of BCC eluates and the median values for release of copper and zinc, although not magnesium. Of the different materials, BCC demonstrated greatest antibacterial activity.

The aim of this study was to determine the level of agreement regarding assessments of competence among dental students, their student peers, and their clinical skills tutors in a preclinical skills program. In 2012-13 at the University of Edinburgh, second-year dental students learned to perform the following seven cavity preparations/restorations on primary and permanent Frasaco teeth: single-surface adhesive occlusal cavity; single-surface adhesive interproximal cavity; single-surface adhesive labial cavity; multi-surface adhesive cavity; multi-surface amalgam cavity; pre-formed metal crown preparation; and composite resin buildup of a fractured maxillary central incisor tooth. Each student, a randomly allocated student peer, and the clinical skills tutor used standardized descriptors to assign a competency grade to all the students' preparations/restorations. The grades were analyzed by chi-square analysis. Data were available for all 59 second-year students in the program. The results showed that both the students and their peers overestimated the students' competence compared to the tutor at the following levels: single-surface adhesive occlusal cavity (χ 2 =10.63, p=0.005); single-surface adhesive interproximal cavity (χ 2 =11.40, p=0.003); single-surface labial cavity (χ 2 =23.70, p=0.001); multi-surface adhesive cavity (χ 2 =12.56, p=0.002); multi-surface amalgam cavity (χ 2 =38.85, p=0.001); pre-formed metal crown preparation (χ 2 =40.41, p=0.001); and composite resin buildup (χ 2 =57.31, p=0.001). As expected, the lowest levels of agreement occurred on the most complicated procedures. These indings support the need for additional ways to help students better self-assess their work.Dr.