Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026
07:57
Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
Published on: April 29, 2014
Measuring clinical productivity in community-based dental education programs.
Oscar Arevalo1, Daniel M Saman, Victoria Rohall
1School of Dental Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. oscar.arevalo@upr.edu
Journal of Dental Education
|September 6, 2011
Summary
Community-based dental education programs (CBDEPs) enhance clinical skills. Measuring student productivity via services, billing, and RVUs helps select optimal extramural sites for richer dental education experiences.
Area of Science:
- Dental Education
- Public Health Dentistry
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Community-based dental education programs (CBDEPs) are integral to dental school curricula.
- Evaluating clinical productivity is essential for optimizing these programs and student training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To redesign and evaluate the clinical productivity of a Community-based Dental Education Program (CBDEP).
- To inform faculty about extramural site services, set productivity expectations, and guide site selection for optimal clinical experiences.
Main Methods:
- Collected data on clinical productivity (services, billing, RVUs) from 158 dental students over three years (2006-2008).
- Analyzed productivity metrics per site, including total, mean, and median values, using Kentucky Medicaid fees for billing.
- Categorized services to identify key areas contributing to overall productivity.
Main Results:
- Students provided 26,202 services, generating $972,109 in billing and 43,053 RVUs.
- Restorative, oral surgery, preventive, and diagnostic services accounted for 88% of total RVUs.
- Private practice sites yielded the highest productivity (measured by RVUs), with students focusing on restorative and oral surgery.
Conclusions:
- Measuring clinical productivity is an effective strategy for establishing benchmarks and improving the selection of extramural sites in dental education.
- This evaluation supports the value of extramural education and aids faculty and administrators in continuous program improvement.
