University of Florida College of Dentistry's "Case of the Month": Evaluating a web-based continuing dental education course for clinical oral pathology.

Over the last decade, online continuing dental education (CDE) has seen a major transformation in the way it is delivered, marketed, and accessed. The University of Florida College of Dentistry (UFCD) developed and evaluated a web-based CDE format ("Case of the Month") that specifically focused on clinical oral pathology. Over a four-month period, three oral pathology cases were presented monthly (a total of twelve cases overall) using a clinical pathologic conference format including a brief patient history, along with pictures and radiographs needed to make a treatment diagnosis. A differential diagnosis in the form of a question was developed, followed by a detailed description and rationale describing why the option was correct or incorrect. At the conclusion of the case of the month, respondents completed an online survey that ascertained their needs, expectations, attitudes, level of clinical knowledge gained, and experience with the online environment. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the expectations and attitudes of these CDE participants. Results suggested that the participants' needs and expectations were generally met: they were able to navigate the website with ease and found the design to be appealing. The biggest disadvantage reported was the inability to communicate with others, including the instructor, while viewing the case, and more respondents would like to have seen some more general/common oral pathology information.