No abstract

In engaging lectures, also referred to as broken or interactive lectures, students are given short periods of lecture followed by "breaks" that can consist of 1-min papers, problem sets, brainstorming sessions, or open discussion. While many studies have shown positive effects when engaging lectures are used in undergraduate settings, the literature surrounding use of the learning technique for professional students is inconclusive. The novelty of this study design allowed a direct comparison of engaging physiology lectures versus didactic lecture formats in the same cohort of 120 first-year School of Dentistry DMD students. All students were taught five physiological systems using traditional lecture methods and six physiological systems using engaging lecture methods. The use of engaging lectures led to a statistically significant higher average on unit exams compared with traditional didactic lectures (8.6% higher, P < 0.05). Furthermore, students demonstrated an improved long-term retention of information via higher scores on the comprehensive final exam (22.9% higher in engaging lecture sections, P < 0.05). Many qualitative improvements were also indicated via student surveys and evaluations, including an increased perceived effectiveness of lectures, decrease in distractions during lecture, and increased confidence with the material. The development of engaging lecture activities requires a significant amount of instructor preparation and limits the time available to provide traditional lectures. However, the positive results of this study suggest the need for a restructuring of the physiology curriculum to incorporate more engaging lectures to improve both the qualitative experiences and performance levels of professional students.

Active learning is an instructional method in which students become engaged participants in the classroom through the use of in-class written exercises, games, problem sets, audience-response systems, debates, class discussions, etc. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning strategies, minimal adoption of the technique has occurred in many professional programs. The goal of this study was to compare the perceptions of active learning between students who were exposed to active learning in the classroom (n = 116) and professional-level physiology faculty members (n = 9). Faculty members reported a heavy reliance on lectures and minimal use of educational games and activities, whereas students indicated that they learned best via the activities. A majority of faculty members (89%) had observed active learning in the classroom and predicted favorable effects of the method on student performance and motivation. The main reported barriers by faculty members to the adoption of active learning were a lack of necessary class time, a high comfort level with traditional lectures, and insufficient time to develop materials. Students hypothesized similar obstacles for faculty members but also associated many negative qualities with the traditional lecturers. Despite these barriers, a majority of faculty members (78%) were interested in learning more about the alternative teaching strategy. Both faculty members and students indicated that active learning should occupy portions (29% vs. 40%) of face-to-face class time.

Dental students with no clinical experience have high expectations for digital scanning, and despite their initial difficulty, expect it to become their primary impression technique during their professional futures. The instructional time necessary for introducing DS into the curriculum is significantly greater than CI in both classroom (lecture) and clinical simulation settings (investigator-led demonstration).

Clinical RelevanceThe clinical use of whitening chemicals should provide patients with some degree of certainty that there are no detrimental effects over time. Loss of surface hardness and polymerization inhibition are areas of concern in the literature and need clinical validation for both the practitioner and patient. SUMMARYPurpose: This clinical evaluation compared a neutral sodium fluoridated whitening product to a neutral non-fluoridated whitening product in terms their effects on human enamel surface microhardness (SMH) and human enamel/resin composite shear bond strength (SBS) following various treatment times. Materials and Methods: Subjects were evaluated for enamel SMH and enamel/resin SBS following 15% carbamide peroxide (CP) with and without potassium nitrate and fluoride (PF). Twenty subjects (80 first or second premolars), who were treatment-planned for premolar extraction due to orthodontic therapy, were allocated into two groups, A and B. Group A received 15% CP, while Group B received 15% CP with PF. Each patient had a control tooth, a 14-day treatment + 14-day recovery tooth, a 14-day treatment + no recovery tooth and a 4-day + no recovery tooth. Each tooth was fur-