Clinical guidelines and self-assessment in dental education

This paper describes an educational programme where clinical guidelines are used in dental education and assesses the value of these guidelines as perceived by undergraduate students. It presents a comparison of students' own assessments of their performance with those of their instructors, according to such guidelines. The educational programme at the Faculty of Odontology, Lund University, is described through 3 main principles: problem-based learning, adoption of a holistic attitude to patient care and the promotion of oral health. The dental curriculum occupies 5 years comprising 10 semesters. 41, 5th semester students (16 male and 25 female) participated in the study. Students were introduced to guidelines in group discussions at the beginning of the semester. At the completion of a patient's planned course of treatment, the outcome was formally assessed both by students and clinical instructors. Performance was scored in various categories as "excellent", "acceptable" or "unacceptable" according to the standards defined. A total of 1373 scores were made by both students and instructors. 88% cent of students used the guidelines often or almost always and found them useful. Overall, no students received an "unacceptable" score and 40% of students achieved a score of "excellent". Female students tended towards a higher score, but this was not significant. Instructors' and students' scores agreed in almost 90% of instances. Students under-scored their performance more frequently than they over-scored it. It appears that the use of clinical guidelines may encourage an increased awareness of the decision-making processes involved in clinical practice, but it must be acknowledged that these guidelines are complex both in derivation and application.