Cord Placement Model: An Instructional Guide for Preclinical Dental Students to Practice the Skill of Retraction Cord Placement.

Introduction: Gingival displacement is essential for ideal margin exposure and improved direct or indirect restorative outcome. Recent literature found many dentists prefer using retraction cord. Some contraindications of other displacement methods make retraction cord displacement preferred.

A community of practice in dental education: A phenomenon of newcomers becoming oldtimers.

Objectives: Community of practice (CoP) members develop cooperative learning history with shared cases, techniques, and concepts. A 2020 study was designed to explore participants' perceptions toward learning in the dental education CoP.

Methods: The Institutional Review Board exempted (AZ #1355) study involved an incidental population of third- and fourth-year dental students (N = 285) and resulted in a 43.

Dental Faculty, Student, and Alumni Perceptions of Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Dental School: Foundations for Resilience and Well-Being.

This study examined happiness and satisfaction as possible foundations for long-term well-being and resilience in dental education. Psychological research has found that respect, camaraderie, and trust help define well-being and that resilience is built with these supportive influences. The aims of this study were to assess if happiness and life satisfaction reported by one U.

Prep-Along Facilitated Posterior Crown Preparation in the Preclinical Dental Setting: A Multimedia Approach.

Introduction: Dental students often seek visual aids and demonstrations when attempting to perform new procedures. This video resource provides an adjunctive teaching tool for a crown preparation on an ivorine molar using the "prep-along" method. This method teaches crown preparation in a uniform, step-by-step manner while providing feedback to students after each step.

Dental Students' Use of Student-Managed Google Docs and Other Technologies in Collaborative Learning.

Textbooks, once the standard of education, now have competition when students prefer the Internet and digital technology. The aim of this research study was to survey dental students at one dental school about their use of student-managed Google Docs and other online technologies in collaborative e-learning. All dental students in all four classes at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona were invited to participate in online surveys in 2015 and 2017.

Dentists' Perceptions of Their Peer Learning Experiences in Dental School and Effects on Practice.

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has been found in medical, nursing, and dental education research to aid in preparing students to develop clinical judgment, leadership, and teamwork skills. This study sought to extend that research by assessing the effect of PAL on dentists in practice. The aim of this study was to ask practicing dentists who were clinically trained with PAL in dental school for their perceptions of the effects and value of that training for their patient care, team relations, and professional development.

Comparison of Postbaccalaureate and Baccalaureate Graduates' Performance in First and Second Years of Dental School.

Postbaccalaureate programs help predental students strengthen their basic science knowledge and improve their study skills before applying or reapplying for dental school admission. A high percentage of postbac students are admitted to and graduate from dental schools, but gaining greater understanding of how well these students perform in key areas of the first two years' curriculum would be useful for the design of those programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate postbac dental students' performance in the D1 and D2 years at one U.

Oral Health Care Quality Measurement and Its Role in Dental Education.

Concerns about health care quality have affected much of the health care delivery system including dentistry and dental education. Believing measurement is the key element in improving quality, the Dental Quality Alliance brought together major stakeholders in oral health care to lead the development of oral health performance measures that can be used to evaluate the performance of dental programs and practices. These measures complement the quality assurance measures dental schools use to ensure compliance with accreditation standards on patient care delivery.

A Comparison of Seven Predental Postbaccalaureate Programs in Gaining Dental School Acceptance for Their Students.

Predental students are often unsuccessful in gaining admission to dental school because of low academic scores. Many of these students are from economically and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Postbaccalaureate and Master's programs provide these students with the opportunity to raise their grade point averages and/or scores on the Dental Admission Test and then apply or reapply for dental school admission.

Using Standardized Patients to Teach Complete Denture Procedures in Second Year of Dental School.

Second-year dental students are commonly instructed on the process of complete denture fabrication with a traditional didactic lecture and preclinical dental laboratory education model. The problem with this limited mode of instruction is that dental students often fail to understand the various chairside procedures required to fabricate a complete denture. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of standardized dental patients to enhance students' understanding of the procedures involved with each appointment in the complete denture process.

Effect of a Pilot Preclinical Incentive Program on Dental Students' Performance on a Clinical Competency Exam.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a pilot preclinical incentive program on dental students' performance on a clinical competency (mock board) exam at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona. To assess the effect of preclinical grade incentives in a program called SUCCEED, scores from a clinical competency exam administered during the fall quarter of the fourth year were compared between the graduating classes of 2014 and 2015 (pre-SUCCEED curriculum) and the graduating class of 2016 (post-SUCCEED curriculum). The study hypothesized that the class participating in the SUCCEED program, with its incentives for greater preclinical preparation and practice, would score higher than the other classes on the exams.

Power of Peers: Students' Perceptions of Pairing in Clinical Dental Education.

Prior studies have identified many benefits of peer mentoring in higher education, but the subject has not been widely examined in dental clinical education. Students at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona are paired with a partner for the duration of the clinical phase of education. The initial vision behind pairing was to train students in a realistic four-handed, efficient general practice model.

Correlation Between Students' Dental Admission Test Scores and Performance on a Dental School's Competency Exam.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a statistically significant positive correlation between dental students' Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores, particularly on the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT), and their performance on a dental school's competency exam. Scores from the written and clinical competency exam administered in the fall quarter of the fourth year of the curriculum at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona were compared to DAT scores of all 216 members of the graduating classes of 2012 and 2013. It was hypothesized that students who performed highly on one or more sections of the DAT would perform highly on the competency exam.