Training in radiographic caries detection and staging using an interactive tool.

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Radiographic Interpretation
• Caries Detection

Background:

• Assessing dental students' practical skills in radiographic caries detection is crucial.
• The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) provides a standardized framework.
• Traditional lectures may be enhanced with interactive tools for better skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of traditional lectures versus lectures with audience response systems (ARS) for teaching radiographic caries detection and staging.
• To evaluate the impact of the order of instruction on student performance.
• To assess student preferences for learning modalities.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-three dental students were randomized into two groups (A and B).
• Group A received a traditional lecture first, followed by ARS; Group B received ARS first, followed by a traditional lecture.
• Students completed electronic quizzes (T1 and T2) to assess caries detection and staging skills using ICDAS criteria.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found in initial quiz scores between groups (p=.61).
• The group receiving ARS instruction first showed a marginally higher score on the second quiz (p=.07).
• A majority of students (80%) found the ARS helpful, with most preferring ARS alone or in combination with traditional lectures.

Conclusions:

• Audience response systems (ARS) serve as valuable complementary tools to traditional lectures in dental education.
• Interactive learning methods can enhance the practical skills of dental students in detecting and staging radiographic dental caries.
• Integrating hands-on tools like ARS improves the learning experience and skill acquisition for radiographic interpretation.