Testing Motor Learning Curves Among Dental Students

Abstract

Motor learning up to reaching proficiency can be registered and displayed as a learning curve. Understanding the nature of the motor learning curves will allow proper planning of teaching. The aim of this study was to measure the rate of motor learning of novice dental students in preparing dental cavities. A total of 66 first-year students (21 males and 45 females) at a dental school in Israel participated in this 12-week study. In the first and last weeks, the students prepared 12 cavities in 45 minutes in a composite material plate, using a dental high-speed burr. In the ten weeks between tests, manual performance was measured by drilling two cavities, limited to 3.5 minutes per cavity. The results showed that improvement was significant (p<0.05) at two-week intervals in all cases except for the sixth and seventh weeks, when a significant increase was observed only after three weeks. The performance of the lowest performing students (those with grades in the lowest third of the class) remained low throughout the entire course. Further subdivision of the class into two groups showed that the upper half reached the minimum required performance in week 9, whereas the lower half achieved it only three weeks later. The authors concluded that the 12-week study was not sufficiently long for the learning curve to reach a plateau. Dental students present a variety of motor learning curves and different rates of proficiency acquisition, so understanding the nature of these curves, and the differences among students, may be useful in lesson planning to support the process of motor learning.

Comparison of Visuospatial Skill Development Between Preclinical and Clinical Undergraduate Students Using Dentinal Pin Placement Exercise

“…Also its important to note that different students have different learning curves and this possibly influences psychomotor skill development. 2 This study addressed the difference in visuospatial skills by identifying chances of error between pre-clinical and clinical level students when doing a certain procedure. There were few limitations of the study like for instance the sample was restricted to a single teaching college and could not be considered representative of the dental student population in Pakistan.…”

“…The desired end result of pre-clinical instruction and clinical training for dental students improvement of manual dexterity in relation to dental procedures. 2 Many skills, like the ability to interpret a radiograph helps in procedures which require preoperative assessment, are important to prevent iatrogenic damage and ensure patient safety.…”

Relationship between students’ performance on weekly task assessments and final practical exam at the preclinical restorative dentistry course

“…Preclinical restorative dentistry courses enable students acquire and develop their manual dexterity and gain knowledge about the clinical aspects of to restoring carious and/or defective teeth [1]. Manual dexterity is a fundamental component in restorative dentistry, as fine motor skills are necessary to carry out complex treatments in small dimensions, with limited space and visibility in the oral cavity [2,3]. Dental students learn these fundamental skills through simulated exercise in preclinical courses using either artificial teeth mounted in phantom head or extracted natural teeth, before delivering actual patient care in the clinic.…”

“…Weekly task assessments have not a direct numerical effect on the year-end score, but the completion of these tasks is a prerequisite for entering the final exam at the Biruni University. However, measuring student performance at a particular time, provide information about only single specific performance and not about psychomotor learning curve [3]. Therefore, validity of the final practical exam to assess whether student gained objective learning of restorative dentistry through the whole of preclinical course would be questionable.…”

Influence of Preparatory Workshops on Dental Students’ Academic Performance and Stress on Their First Operative Dentistry Psychomotor Exam

“…However, the curricula of dental schools require more than just didactic knowledge; they also require exhibition of fine psychomotor and cognitive skills 4 . Students’ reliance on skills such as memory, perception, judgment, reasoning, and critical thinking that have resulted in previous academic accomplishments is usually of little consequence as they strive to master psychomotor skills 5 , 6 . Typically, entering dental students lack an awareness of the amount of time and effort required to acquire the necessary psychomotor skills.…”