Evaluation of Team-Based Learning and Traditional Instruction in Teaching Removable Partial Denture Concepts

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Prosthodontics
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Traditional lecture-based teaching may not be optimal for clinical application skills in removable partial denture (RPD) treatment.
• Team-based learning (TBL) is recognized for its potential to enhance student motivation and clinical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) compared to traditional methods for teaching removable partial denture (RPD) treatment to dental students.
• To assess the impact of TBL on knowledge retention and clinical application skills in RPD treatment.

Main Methods:

• A preclinical removable partial denture (RPD) course at the University of Florida transitioned from traditional lectures to team-based learning (TBL).
• A standardized written examination was administered to compare knowledge retention and clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning skills between students taught via traditional methods and TBL.

Main Results:

• Students taught with team-based learning (TBL) achieved statistically significantly higher passing grades (p=0.002) and a higher mean examination score (0.758 vs. 0.700) compared to those taught with traditional methods.
• TBL demonstrated a large effect size, indicating practical significance in improving students' understanding and application of removable partial denture (RPD) concepts.

Conclusions:

• Team-based learning (TBL) is a highly effective methodology for teaching removable partial denture (RPD) treatment to dental students.
• TBL shows promise in enhancing dental students' knowledge retention and clinical performance in prosthodontics.