PMID- 17687089
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20071012
LR  - 20191210
IS  - 0022-0337 (Print)
IS  - 0022-0337 (Linking)
VI  - 71
IP  - 8
DP  - 2007 Aug
TI  - The impact of targeted shortened preclinical exercises on student perceptions and 
      outcomes.
PG  - 1070-9
AB  - The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) introduced problem-based learning 
      (PBL) into the dental curriculum in 1994 as a part of curriculum reform. During 
      the reorganization, departments were consolidated, and courses were taught in an 
      interdisciplinary fashion rather than in a discipline-based approach. The changes 
      required a reduction in lecture and preclinical clock hours, which might have 
      affected student performance and anxiety levels. The objectives of this study 
      were to 1) compare the HSDM didactic and laboratory preclinical hours in 
      Endodontics, Operative, and Prosthodontics before and after PBL implementation; 
      2) compare the HSDM didactic and laboratory preclinical hours in Endodontics, 
      Operative, and Prosthodontics with other schools nationwide; 3) measure students' 
      perceptions of their levels of stress and self-confidence at two time points 
      during their preclinical and clinical years; 4) investigate the correlation 
      between the number of preclinical hours and the students' stress level and 
      self-confidence; and 5) evaluate the impact of shortened preclinical hours on the 
      performance of HSDM students on the National Board Dental Examination Parts I and 
      II. A survey regarding the students' level of stress, self-confidence, and 
      preparation to treat patients during preclinical laboratory exercises was 
      distributed to the HSDM classes of 2005 and 2006 (n=70). The HSDM preclinical 
      curriculum hours were compared to national data as reported by the American 
      Dental Association (ADA). Cross-tabulations were constructed, and the Fisher's 
      exact test was conducted to examine the relationships between the variables. We 
      found that HSDM preclinical hours in Endodontics, Operative, and Prosthodontics 
      were significantly lower than at other schools. During the preclinical exercises, 
      the Prosthodontics preclinical exercises were found to be the most stressful and 
      provided the lowest self-confidence in treating patients as compared to the other 
      preclinical subject areas. HSDM students' scores on the National Board Part I and 
      II examinations continue to be among the highest in the nation and have not been 
      affected by the change in curriculum. We conclude that the change in HSDM's 
      curriculum that resulted in targeted, shorter preclinical exercises has not 
      affected clinical and didactic outcomes, but may have affected the anxiety that 
      students feel when entering the clinic.
FAU - Sukotjo, Cortino
AU  - Sukotjo C
AD  - Department of Restorative and Biomaterial Sciences, Harvard School of Dental 
      Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA.
FAU - Thammasitboon, Kewalin
AU  - Thammasitboon K
FAU - Howell, Howard
AU  - Howell H
FAU - Karimbux, Nadeem
AU  - Karimbux N
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Evaluation Study
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - J Dent Educ
JT  - Journal of dental education
JID - 8000150
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Clinical Competence/*standards
MH  - Curriculum
MH  - Dentistry, Operative/*education
MH  - Education, Dental/*methods
MH  - Educational Measurement
MH  - Endodontics/*education
MH  - Humans
MH  - *Problem-Based Learning
MH  - Program Evaluation
MH  - Prosthodontics/*education
MH  - Students, Dental/psychology
MH  - Time Factors
MH  - United States
EDAT- 2007/08/10 09:00
MHDA- 2007/10/13 09:00
CRDT- 2007/08/10 09:00
PHST- 2007/08/10 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2007/10/13 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2007/08/10 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 71/8/1070 [pii]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Dent Educ. 2007 Aug;71(8):1070-9.