Influence of Instructional DVD on Pre-clinical Student Performance

Newer tools have been developed for dental preclinical instruction, in order to enhance visual access when demonstrating procedures. Objective: To evaluate the influence that an instructional DVD may have on student performance. Methods: a DVD depicting the step-by-step procedure on how to prepare a maxillary central incisor for an all ceramic restoration and how to fabricate a provisional restoration was shown to 55 second-year students (Class of 2008). Students were tested on three practical examinations during the course. Practical Examination One (PE1) tested students on the all ceramic tooth preparation and provisional crown fabrication while the other two examined procedures for which students had only a demonstration in class and a Power Point presentation. Grades for all three practical examinations were compared to those of Class of 2007, which was not exposed to the DVD. Results: Split-plot ANOVA revealed a significant interaction of dental class and practical examination on the final grades achieved by the students [(F2,210) = 15.77; p = .00]. Tests of simple main effects for class across the examinations revealed that for PE1, the Class of 2008 scored significantly higher grades compared to the Class of 2007 (Tukey's HSD, p = .01). No differences were detected between the two classes for final grades on Practicals Two and Three. Exposure to the instructional DVD was found to be positively correlated with final grades for PE1 (rbs = 0.48; p = .00). Feedback from end-of-course evaluations indicated that the majority of the class (48/55) felt that the DVD was “extremely useful” for PE1. The same number of students also mentioned that a DVD provided them with better visibility to the procedure compared to conventional methods. Conclusion: Exposure to an instructional DVD in a practical pre-clinical course may improve students' performance during practical examinations.