Optimizing Preclinical Skill Assessment for Handpiece-Naïve Students: A Strategic Approach.

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Simulation-Based Training
• Preclinical Dental Skills

Background:

• Preclinical dental training relies on simulation tools for fine motor skill development.
• Traditional plastic teeth lack realistic tactile feedback.
• Systematic evaluations of multi-layered drilling plates are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the educational utility of a novel multi-layered drilling plate.
• To assess the perceived realism of the drilling plate simulating enamel, dentin, and pulp.
• To compare the plate's realism and utility against natural dental tissues and existing tools.

Main Methods:

• Seventy dental educators from 14 institutions assessed the drilling plates.
• Standardized protocols and quantitative ratings (1-10 scale) were used.
• Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney U Test and Krippendorff's alpha for reliability.

Main Results:

• High scores for drilling quality (enamel: 7.80, dentin: 7.27, pulp: 7.48) and surface smoothness (8.17).
• 90% passing grades indicated high educational utility, rejecting the null hypothesis.
• Significant differences in realism from natural tissues were found (p < 0.05), with poor inter-rater reliability.

Conclusions:

• The drilling plate demonstrates potential for preclinical dental skill development.
• Further research is needed to compare its efficacy against existing tools and assess student outcomes.
• Refinement is required, particularly for dentin haptic simulation, to fully validate its use.