Timing of Case-Based Discussions and Educational Outcomes for Dental Students

The aim of this study was to determine if the timing of a case-based discussion affected dental students' assessment scores. The study specifically investigated whether the timing of a 60-minute case-based discussion before or after a 90-minute lecture affected students' performance on a quiz on topics in pediatric dentistry. In addition, students' preferences for the timing of the case discussion and confidence in the material with different timings were assessed in a survey. In a crossover design, all 52 second-year students in fall 2016 at one U.S. dental school participated in a case-based discussion either before or after lectures on stainless steel crowns and pulp therapy, compared to a control unit on space maintenance with no case-based discussion. The students took quizzes and responded to questionnaires a week after the lectures. A total of 45 (87%) of the 52 students consented to have their scores used. The results showed that the students performed better on the quiz when participating in a case-based discussion after the lecture compared to the discussion before the lecture (after mean=6.1±0.8 vs. before mean=5.5±1.3). The students' control quiz mean following a lecture with no associated case discussion was 6.3±0.8. Students also expressed more confidence when the case was held after the lecture (12.7 vs. 11.6, p=0.02) and preferred the case after (p=0.01). This study found that higher quiz and confidence scores resulted when a case discussion was held after (vs. before) a lecture. When dental educators consider adding a case discussion to a lecture format as a method of increasing students' active learning, these results suggest that having the case discussion after the lecture may be more effective for learners new to the material.