a) clinical exposure and training on the development of manual dexterity
b) the implementation of the Post-2004 Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree curriculum on manual dexterity.
Methods: In total 246 students from the first, second, third (post-2004) and fourth (pre-2004) years of a five-year undergraduate dental degree took part in the study. The student cohort in the fourth year had previously been tested under the same protocol three years previously thereby providing a basis for the longitudinal assessment. In the Post-2004 BDS curriculum, clinical exposure began in the first trimester of the second year of the curriculum whereas in the Pre-2004 BDS curriculum this commenced later, in the last trimester of the third year. Manual dexterity was assessed using two simple exercises; a needle threading test and a buzzer test.
Results: A statistically significant relationship showing that manual dexterity improves with increased clinical exposure and training was seen in the fourth year cohort in both the needle threading test (P = 0.0000) and the buzzer test (P = 0.0001). With reference to the implementation of the Post-2004 BDS curriculum, a statistically significant increase in dexterity was exhibited in the buzzer test when Post-2004 curriculum third-year students were compared to Pre-2004 curriculum third-year students (P =0.0003), however the increase was not significant for the needle threading test (P = 0.45).
Conclusion: Manual dexterity improves with increased clinical exposure and training. However, further studies should be undertaken to determine the impact of changes in the undergraduate dental curriculum on the manual dexterity of students.