Assessing competency in Dentoalveolar surgery: a 3‐year study of cumulative experience in the undergraduate curriculum

Abstract

Aim: To assess and observe the development of competence in oral surgical skills during a 3-year undergraduate programme. Method: Over a 3-year period 75 students were followed through from the beginning of their clinical course to their Bachelor of Dental Surgery graduation and their surgical experience monitored by the use of logbooks. Their development of competence was assessed objectively through structured assessments and subjectively by a single tutor responsible for each year. Assessments were made of their ability in exodontia, pre-surgical assessment and the surgical extraction of teeth/roots. Results: Seventy-three students completed the course (97%). Successful completion rates for the objective testing were 100% for both exodontia and pre-surgical assessment. The surgical assessment, (surgical extraction of a tooth or root) had a successful completion rate of only 23% and the caseload for students was low with a mean of four teeth removed surgically upon graduation. Relationships were examined between total numbers of teeth extracted, total number of minor oral surgical procedures completed and the successful completion of the surgical competence assessment, but no significant relationships were found. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that it is possible to achieve objectively measurable levels of competence in undergraduates undertaking oral surgery procedures. It is however, a labour and time intensive process and appropriate clinical and teaching resources are required. National co-operation towards agreed standardised competencies should be encouraged to allow data to be pooled and more powerful analyses to occur.

Oral surgery undergraduate teaching and experience in the United Kingdom: a national survey

“…SCOTs were particularly prevalent in the assessment of competence in forceps exodontia. This may be due to the reported success in the literature in relation to producing demonstrably competent undergraduates in this skill using this form of assessment (5, 16). The reported levels of competence in this skill with UK undergraduates is likely to be due to the fact that most of the schools reported no problems in getting the requisite cases for this type of teaching.…”

Should removal of lower third molars be included in the pre-graduate curriculum for dental students? An evaluation of post-operative complications after student operations

“…If surgical training is included in the curriculum, the guidelines usually imply that students should be able to remove non-complicated impacted and semiimpacted teeth [2], but not deeply impacted or otherwise complicated molars. An argument against students performing the operation has been that removal of even 'non-complicated' mandibular third molars is an unpredictable task [3], which should be reserved for post-graduate specialist training.…”

The influence of staffing and timetabling on achieving competence in surgical extractions

“…As previously discussed (11) the first cohort had a disappointing level of exposure to surgical extractions with only a mean of four surgical extractions. It would seem, therefore, unsurprising that a majority of them felt unable to undertake the competence assessment.…”

“…We have previously used objective assessment to demonstrate competence in our undergraduates. Although we demonstrated competence in forceps exodontia in all students in that year group we were unsuccessful in demonstrating competence in surgical extraction (11). It became a matter of priority to improve the level of attainment of competence as it was becoming a requirement to pass final BDS.…”