DENTAL SKILLS TRAINING: BALANCING DENTAL PREPARATION SKILLS VS QUANTITY

Abstract: Objective: To compare the skill of fourth-year dental students at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) preparing prosthetic crowns, considering the number of preparations performed and their location (anterior/posterior). Materials and methods: Prior to the study, students received training in the preparation of prosthetic crowns according to the curriculum using models and phantoms in a standardized manner; They then carried out dental preparations on patients according to availability in a variable number. At the same time, a rubric was designed for the evaluation of the dental preparations, which was validated by professors of the oral prosthodontics area from the UPCH. Using this rubric, a calibrated blind researcher reviewed the STL files with the tooth preparations performed using haptic virtual reality simulation by the students at the end of their academic period. Finally, the number of dental preparations performed by students on patients during their academic period was reviewed; This information was related to his dental preparations skills. Results: The evaluation of the dental preparation showed an average grade of 13.8 / 20.0, with a maximum grade of 18 and a minimum of 4. The number of teeth preparations in patients was on average 3.01, with 0 being the minimum amount made by a student and 7 the maximum. Depending on their location, 49 anterior and 171 posterior preparation were recorded. The analysis applying the Kruskal-Wallis Test revealed a statistically significant difference between the number of teeth preparation and the demonstrated skill. The Spearman Coefficient determined that there is a significant difference in the skill acquired between students who made 3 or more dental preparations, without distinction of their previous or posterior location. Conclusions: There is a significant difference in the skill of the students who performed 3 or more dental preparations, regardless of their anterior/posterior location.