Development of an error‐detection examination for conservative dentistry education

Abstract

Objective For dental students, textbooks and lectures provide basic knowledge, and simulated and actual clinical training provide learning in technical and communication skills. At our college, conservative dentistry is taught in the third and fourth years of a 6‐year undergraduate degree. Clinical training is undertaken subsequently in the fifth year and includes cavity preparation and composite resin filling tasks. However, despite the clinical importance of a full understanding surrounding these procedures, sixth‐year students occasionally provide incorrect answers regarding these procedures in assessments. Although they demonstrated a basic understanding of the procedures, they may have forgotten the acquired knowledge during their clinical training. Therefore, we developed an error‐detection examination to evaluate and improve fifth‐year students' knowledge. Methods Written detailed treatment procedures for standardized, typical, cases were presented to students. Some critical steps were intentionally written incorrectly, and students had to identify and correct these. After correcting the steps, students gave a presentation to their peers on their corrections. This was followed by a summary of the correct answers and a short lecture by the teacher. Students then completed a questionnaire investigating their experience of the examination. Results Students misunderstood some key treatment steps, such as pretreatment of composite resin filling, amalgam removal, and ceramic inlay fitting. The questionnaire revealed that this method of testing applied knowledge was new to students and helped them to identify knowledge gaps. The test also increased their motivation to study conservative dentistry. Students were open to taking similar tests in different areas. Conclusion Although conservative dentistry is a basic field of dental treatment, mistakes in treatment can lead to early treatment failure or reduce the lifetime of a restored tooth. Therefore, students need to have a deep understanding of procedures. Error‐detection examinations may help students identify knowledge gaps and provide useful feedback to teachers to identify areas that they should stress in earlier years.

The Effect of Assessments on Student Motivation for Learning and Its Outcomes in Health Professions Education: A Review and Realist Synthesis

“…After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 24 out of 15,291 articles were included (see Figure 1). 26–49 The rigor and relevance of each article is reported in Supplemental Digital Appendix 2 (at http://links.lww.com/ACADMED/B420).…”

“…The outcomes of assessments that stimulated autonomous motivation were higher creativity 34 ; skill development 44 ; fostering of self-regulation, time management skills, mastery learning, and self-directed corrective actions 30 , 34 , 41 ; interest in the topic 27 ; a deeper learning approach, 26 , 43 , 45 , 46 higher effort and better connection with the material 34 , 47 ; increased quality of work, 29 competence, confidence, and performance 26 , 40 ; improved goal setting and engagement in learning 33 , 44 ; better error identification and higher effort on practicing clinical skills 48 ; increased motivation to spend more time with patients 38 ; increased skills and professionalism development 45 ; and encouraging students to improve their work. 42 Lower effort was found in formative compared with summative assessments in spite of formative assessments stimulating autonomous motivation.…”

“…Stimulation of autonomous motivation also happened if the assessment was poised to directly build competence and was an embedded active learning assessment, with timely, external, and multiple sources of feedback. 28 , 31 , 33 , 40 , 41 , 44 , 47 , 49 Assessments that included setting individual 40 or shared goals, 41 stimulated learners to reflect, 33 were jointly constructed by learners and teachers, 45 had authenticity with clinical practice, 26 , 28 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 49 encouraged sharing or shared group learning and responsibility, 27 , 39 , 41 , 44 and held personal value for students also stimulated autonomous motivation. 27 , 31 , 45 Certain student characteristics also form the context for autonomous motivation stimulation, such as high baseline autonomous motivational (for learning) levels, 39 having the motivation for personal achievement or satisfaction, or having a love of learning and passion for the topic.…”

“…They led to increased skills, confidence, and motivation after the completion of each stage of the learning journey. 40,47 Active learning assessments not only supported knowledge building but also engaged students cognitively and emotionally, 42,45 as they generated enquiry by providing students with the opportunity to formulate questions. 45 Assessments that had authenticity with practice motivated students intrinsically as they provided a sense of wholeness, fostered clinical skills and professionalism, captured students' interest, and encouraged teamwork.…”

Application of artificial intelligence in the identification of dental implant systems: a literature review

“…Also, studies to find normal root morphology, root fracture, and periapical pathogen have also been reported [19][20][21] . In prosthodontics, there have been studies to distinguish between restorations and normal teeth in clinical pictures, or to predict the color tone of porcelain powder or composite resin 22,23) .…”