The confidence of undergraduate dental students when carrying out prosthodontic treatment and their perception of the quality of prosthodontic education

Abstract

Introduction Despite the falling number of edentulous patients within the UK, there is still a large demand for the provision of removable prostheses. On qualification, dentists should have the knowledge and skills to provide these prostheses, but previous studies have shown that final‐year dental undergraduate confidence in treating denture patients is lacking. Aim To explore undergraduate dental student confidence whilst carrying out prosthodontic treatment, and to explore their perceptions of the quality of their prosthodontic education. Method An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to all (n=203) dental undergraduates in Years 3 to 5 at the University of Bristol. The questionnaire utilised a range of data collection methods including confidence interval ranked responses and qualitative measures. The data were analysed using SPSS. Results The response rate was 51%. Undergraduate perception of confidence increased throughout the years of study (P<.001). There was also an increase in the number of partial and complete denture cases treated as students progressed through the course (P<.001). Overall, students were satisfied with their prosthodontic teaching, although students thought that too much time was allocated to laboratory teaching, and that increasing their clinical experience would be most beneficial in increasing their confidence levels. Conclusion Student confidence in carrying out prosthetic treatment increased as students progressed through the course, and confidence levels would be increased further with increased clinical experience.

The Confidence of Undergraduate Dental Students When Undertaking Indirect Restorations

“…This study found that overall levels of reported student confidence increased with course progression, which supports the findings of previous UK studies [16,19,20]. When looking at specific indirect procedures (Table 1), it was again found that there was an overall trend for increasing confidence as students progressed, although it was found that final-year students felt more confident at undertaking some procedures more than others.…”

“…This is likely to vary between individuals. However, it is anticipated that this increased clinical exposure to restorative dentistry, including indirect restorations, will lead to a further increase in student perceived levels of confidence [19,20,33].…”

“…There were no exclusion criteria. A questionnaire was developed, based upon two previous studies [18,19], that utilized confidence interval responses using a Likert scale to explore students' views on confidence whilst undertaking various stages of indirect restorations, with a scores ranging from '1 = "Not at all confident" to '10 = "Extremely confident." Hard copy questionnaires were distributed in timetabled lectures between January and April 2018.…”

“…Previous studies carried out at Bristol Dental School have looked at undergraduate confidence levels within endodontics and prosthodontics. The prosthodontics study found that perceived confidence of students increased as they progressed through the course [19]. The endodontic study also showed that the confidence of dental students was directly related to their progression throughout the course, with the majority highly confident at performing root canal treatments in a clinical setting towards their time of graduation [20].…”

Competency‐based education in undergraduate clinical prosthodontics: A paradigm shift in training

“…Competency‐based education dictates a shift from the TE which is teacher‐centered, examination‐driven, time‐based, and discipline‐based (Khanna & Mehrotra, 2019; Taleghani et al., 2004; Yip & Smales, 2000), to a student‐centered education that enriches the students' skills in critical thinking, problem‐solving, and autonomous self‐assessment, which further help them perform better comprehensive patient care and develop ethical values and professionalism for better community‐based services (Behbehani, 2003; Deogade & Naitam, 2016; Field, Cowpe, & Walmsley, 2017; Ghafoor, 2019; Hendricson & Cohen, 1999; Hsu et al., 2015; Khanna & Mehrotra, 2019; Puryer, Woods, Terry, Sandy, & Ireland, 2018; Roudsari, 2018; Whitney, Walton, Aleksejuniene, & Schönwetter, 2015; Yip & Smales, 2000).…”