Impact of a "Journal Club" on the confidence of dental students to critically appraise a clinical trial

Abstract

Introduction: Journal clubs are a strategy that allows students to be exposed to critical appraisal of articles from the early stages of their training. Its long-term impact on the formation of competencies is debated. Objetive: To evaluate if the sessions of a Journal Club increase the confidence that Dentistry students have in their abilities to critically appraise a clinical trial. Material and Methods: A prospective cohort study that involved 21 students from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Lima, Peru) who participated in six Journal Club monthly sessions. The sessions involved the analysis and discussion of clinical trials. Confidence to critically appraise an article before and after was assessed using a self-administered scale. Final and baseline scores were analyzed using a Wilcoxon test. Results: Nineteen students finished all the sessions. Scores before the sessions were on average 2.09±1.17, while after the sixth session an average of 3.53±0.26 was obtained (p<0.05). Both males and females had improved scores after the sessions; however, there were no differences between them (p=0.08). The third- and fourth-year students presented significant changes in their scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: The constant participation in the sessions of a Journal Club improved the confidence that students have when critically evaluating a clinical trial article.