Evaluation of a New Grading System for Clinical Skills in Dental Student Clinics

Several evaluation systems for clinical exams have been suggested over the years, but no systematic analysis of checklists or criteria-based exam forms has yet been undertaken. The aims of this study were to analyze criteria-based evaluation forms and to identify areas in the teaching process potentially requiring improvements. All evaluation forms introduced in 2012 at the Clinic for Periodontology, Endodontology, and Cariology at the University Center of Dental Medicine in Basel, Switzerland, and applied over a three-year period (n=1,093 in 2015) were analyzed using predefined criteria. The authors investigated how well clinical tasks were examined with the given criteria and which criteria were preferably evaluated with a grading system (0-2) or a yes/no choice. The average final grades ranged from 0.89 (n=92) for gold inlay preparation to 1.76 (n=46) for periodontal treatment. Comments were made in 38.5% (n=356) of all exams, mainly highlighting specific aspects of existing criteria. Overall, 13 criteria out of 66 should be checked instead of graded. This methodological analysis of exam forms assessing tasks in operative dentistry yielded valuable information on areas with potential for improvement in the dental curriculum and the evaluation process. Aspects that require more theoretical background and/or hands-on recommendations from experienced clinicians were identified, and ways of further refining and redesigning the evaluation forms were proposed.