New methods of teaching gross anatomy are being evaluated as medical and dental schools attempt to ind time in their curricula for new content without sacriicing essential anatomical knowledge. This article reports on an innovative method of teaching anatomy at New York University College of Dentistry. In 2005, the instructors completely replaced the dissection of wet cadavers with the study of dissected and sliced plastinated specimens. The shift from cadaver dissection to the study of plastinated specimens was accompanied by other changes in the anatomy course: students study in small, consistent groups; frequent, low-impact quizzes are administered; and the role of the computer is increased as a tool for self-directed study. To assess the course, this study considered students' long-term understanding of anatomy as demonstrated by performance on the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I, hours of instruction, and student evaluation. The results show that, since 2005, students have had higher NBDE Part I scores, their overall performance has been above the national mean while hours of instruction were 60 percent of the national mean, and student satisfaction increased.

Objective At the New York University College of Dentistry, we are faced with the challenge of teaching Head and Neck Anatomy to a class of approximately 380 first‐year students. We have developed an innovative anatomy curriculum that has proven effective in facilitating students’ learning and long‐term retention of the material. It has the added benefit of being time‐ and cost‐efficient. Here, we share the structure of our curriculum and examine the student outcomes and student feedback. Materials and Methods In this paper, we describe the evidence‐based methods used in our course and present measures of student success. We also surveyed students about aspects of the anatomy curriculum. Results Our curriculum efficiently manages cost, instructional time, and classroom space, while promoting student success. Over the last 9 years, NYU Dentistry students have achieved a mean first‐time pass rate of 98.6% and an average anatomy score of 1.74 standard deviations above the national mean on the National Board Dental Examination Part I. Students agree with instructor assessments of which features of the curriculum are valuable and state that the course helps them prepare for clinical courses. Conclusion We believe that the main factors in the success of our course are the small group setting, the benefits of spaced repetition and frequent quizzes, and the use of plastinated specimens in place of wet cadavers.

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At the New York University College of Dentistry, lab conference hours for the review of anatomy in preparation for the National Board Dental Examination Part I (NBDE Part I) were reduced due to an increase in incoming class size in 2015. Tasked with providing students an effective means to review material that could now not be covered in the given lab hours, we identified the online platform Cerego as a way to provide a self‐guided anatomy study tool. Use of Cerego replaced what would otherwise have been 96 faculty hours of instruction.We initially created three anatomy topic modules in Cerego, each of which included a combination of images, identifications, associations, and short text passages. Creation of modules in Cerego was intuitive and straightforward. The platform, with algorithms based on principles of retrieval learning and spaced practice, guides the student through individualized iterations of review in multiple formats, and provides the student with prompts for the most effective timing for return to the material. In addition, both student and instructor have access to fine grained performance analytics.We found that Cerego is well suited to fact memorization, and effective as a means to learn material within the time‐frame of a single semester. However, full mastery using the Cerego program – leading to long‐term retention – is achieved over a more extended period. A survey after the termination of the NBDE Part I course in 2015, as well as informal discussions with students, has indicated high student satisfaction with Cerego as a study tool. In addition, results for the anatomy portion of the board exam demonstrates student success, with NYU Dentistry students as a whole achieving a 97.1–100% first‐time pass rate, and performing at 1.4–2.6 standard deviations above the mean for all dental schools in anatomy in the years 2015–2017. Given the success of our initial Cerego use, we have now incorporated this platform into the Head and Neck Anatomy and Basic Tissues courses within the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, and other departments at NYU Dentistry have also adopted the use of this tool.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

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