Application of a new system for classifying root canal morphology in undergraduate teaching and clinical practice: a national survey in Malaysia

Abstract

AimTo evaluate and compare the feedback of final year undergraduate dental students in eight Malaysian dental schools on the application of a new system for classifying root canal morphology in teaching and clinical practice.MethodsOne PowerPoint presentation describing two classification systems for root canal morphology (Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology, 1974 38, 456 and its supplemental configurations, International Endodontic Journal 2017, 50, 761) was delivered to final year undergraduate dental students in eight dental schools in Malaysia by two presenters (each presented to four schools). To examine students’ feedback on the utility of each system, printed questionnaires consisting of six questions (five multiple choice questions and one open‐ended question) were distributed and collected after the lecture. The questionnaire was designed to compare the classification systems in terms of accuracy, practicability, understanding of root canal morphology and recommendation for use in pre‐clinical and clinical courses. The exact test was used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at 0.05 (P = 0.05).ResultsA total of 382 (out of 447) students participated giving a response rate of 86%. More than 90% of students reported that the new system was more accurate and more practical compared with the Vertucci system (P < 0.001). Overall, 97% of students reported the new system helped their understanding of root and canal morphology compared with the Vertucci classification (P < 0.001). Over 97% of students recommended the use of the new system in teaching, pre‐clinical courses and clinical practice (P < 0.001). Except for two schools, no significant difference was detected between the responses of students for all questions at the different schools (P > 0.05). The students’ responses for all questions were almost similar for both presenters (P > 0.05).ConclusionsThe new system of International Endodontic Journal 2017, 50, 761 for classifying root and canal morphology was favoured by final year undergraduate dental students in Malaysia. The new system has the potential to be included in the undergraduate endodontic curriculum for teaching courses related to root and canal morphology.

Virtual reality: an effective tool for teaching root canal anatomy to undergraduate dental students – a preliminary study

“…The classification of root canal anatomy proposed by Ahmed et al (2017) was preferred because it elegantly describes the three-dimensional complexity of the root canal system. Recently, the new system was evaluated by dental students in Malaysia (Ahmed et al 2020) and was reported to be highly beneficial for their understanding of root canal anatomy. These findings are promising and need to be further evaluated, especially with the introduction of VR in endodontic education.…”

“…Recently, the new system was evaluated by dental students in Malaysia (Ahmed et al . 2020) and was reported to be highly beneficial for their understanding of root canal anatomy. These findings are promising and need to be further evaluated, especially with the introduction of VR in endodontic education.…”

A new coding system for root and canal morphology – an online survey from Peru

“…A recent national survey study in Malaysia compared feedback from undergraduate dental students on a new system for classifying the root and canal morphology with that of the Vertucci classification and its supplemental configurations (Ahmed et al . 2020). The results revealed that more than 90% of students believed that the new system for classifying root and canal morphology was more accurate and more practical compared with the Vertucci classification.…”

“…The lecture was delivered in Spanish, and the questionnaire used in Ahmed et al . (2020) was translated into Spanish and distributed electronically to participants (Ethical approval number 172‐2020). The lecture was attended by 300 participants and a total of 239 participants responded to the questionnaire (response rate = 79.7%).…”

“…Even though this survey did not follow the same PowerPoint presentation used in the study by Ahmed et al (2020), it is obvious that the new coding system is favoured by dentists in Peru, and it has the potential to be used in teaching, pre-clinical and clinical courses. The use of similar survey studies on the new coding system for accessory canals (Ahmed et al 2018), and anomalies (Ahmed & Dummer 2018b) is a potential for future research.…”