Self-instruction guides in the undergraduate oral surgery curriculum

A study was undertaken to evaluate the self-instruction guides in oral surgery developed at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. The third-year dental class enrolled in the basic oral surgery course was divided into four groups. Group I received the traditional lecture series and textbook. Group II attended the lectures series, used the standard textbook, and were given the guides to study at their own convenience. Students in Group III received only the self-instruction guides and were assigned to review them in a study hall during the usual lecture hours. Members of Group IV were given only the guides to be studied at their own convenience. Scores on the midterm and final examinations and on the oral surgery section of the National Dental Board examination showed no significant differences in performance among the four groups, indicating that students can learn oral surgery from these self-instruction guides.