Effect of dental laboratory exposure on dental students: A preliminary investigation

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background:Teaching dental materials in first and second BDS training years is a very demanding task. The theory can be taught but the relevant clinical and laboratory procedures can be shown only in third and final BDS. Therefore, understanding can be improved if technical laboratory procedures are shown live to these students in early years.Methodology:An early laboratory exposure was planned for second BDS students related to various dental materials including dental ceramic, waxes and casting procedures. 60 students were divided in 2 groups of control and experimental respectively. Pre-test and post-test were administered. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to know their perceptions regarding the intervention.Results:The mean scores were pretest 29±3 and for control group 33±2 and for experimental group 45±4. the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Common themes that emerged from semistructured interviews included better understanding of the topics especially technical procedures and scope of dental laboratory in clinical practice.Conclusion:Early laboratory exposure can be successfully coupled with traditional teaching of dental materials in early years of BDS training to provide a practical context to theoretical learning.