ORCID Profile
0000-0003-4168-6531
Current Organisations
University of Sharjah
,
University of Sydney
,
NSW Department of Education
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 07-06-2022
Abstract: Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate senior students' and dental graduates' perception of professionalism as defined by international regulatory bodies and to assess students' ability to apply such knowledge in clinical-based scenarios. Materials and Methods Knowledge of professional competencies was conducted using a survey based on domains of professionalism for a newly qualified general dental practitioner as defined by international regulatory bodies. This survey consists of 32 items addressing participants' perception of three domains of professionalism. Application of the perceived professional competencies was tested by asking participants to answer questions following the observation of a clinical-based scenario video where participants needed to identify issues related to professional, ethical, and communication skills, which were embedded in the scenarios. Statistical Analysis Differences were analyzed using ANOVA and t-tests (p .05). Results Data from 146 participants showed no significant differences in the survey scores between the participants' professional levels, place of practice, age groups, and genders. Analyses of correlation between the different domains of professionalism showed significant relationships between pair-wise comparisons of the total domain scores. Paired t-tests revealed that the mean score percentage for each of the three domains of professionalism was significantly higher than the responses reported in the relevant clinical-based scenario questions. Conclusions This indicates that all domains of professionalism contributed in a similar way to their overall assessment. Furthermore, our findings show that dental practitioners may not be able to apply their knowledge of professionalism in real-life scenarios. This suggests that teaching professionalism at the early stages of the dental curriculum should incorporate innovative approaches to mimic real-life scenarios.
Publisher: University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
Date: 14-10-2019
Abstract: This article discusses the impact and implications of ‘I’m a Local…’, an initiative developed in partnership between a regional university, a refugee resettlement community organisation and former refugees from African nations in a regional Australian community. The initiative sought to improve understandings about refugees, acknowledge their contributions to Australian society and support local, inclusive cultures. It included the development of public resources exploring the process of former refugees in establishing a sense of belonging and becoming ‘locals’. Racialised ‘Others’ continue to be excluded from ‘belonging’ within Australian communities at a wide range of practical and symbolic levels, so it remains an ongoing challenge to broaden the experience of belonging, challenge the borders erected around ‘local’ identities, and work to transform Australia’s post-colonial paradigm. ‘I’m a Local…’ provides an instructive ex le of how change agents from different sectors working collaboratively can dismantle prevailing discourses and affirm more inclusive and hopeful futures.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 13-03-2022
Abstract: Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the technical quality of root canal fillings and the presence of iatrogenic errors in the cases treated by undergraduate dental students using radiographic images. Materials and Methods This study included 480 root-filled teeth, which were evaluated using intraoral periapical radiographic images. The technical quality of obturation was assessed by observing the length, density, and taperness of the root filling. Ledges, apical transportation, fractured instruments, zipping, and root perforation were recorded as iatrogenic errors. Teeth were classified as acceptable if the technical parameters were adequate and there were no iatrogenic errors. Statistical Analysis Data were statistically analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test. Results The quality of root filling was acceptable in 183 of the 480 teeth. The rate of acceptable quality was higher for the teeth treated by 4th-year students (41.9%) than for those treated by 5th-year students (27.4% p = 0.004). Length and taperness were adequate in more of the patients treated by the 4th-year students (p .05). There was a significant difference in the incidence of ledge formation and apical transportation in relation to the student's level (p .05). Conclusions The technical quality of root fillings performed without iatrogenic errors by undergraduate dental students was declared acceptable in 38.1% of the assessed teeth. There was a noticeable difference in the quality of root canal treatment between the 4th- and 5th-year students. Clinical Relevance The findings demonstrate that periodic assessment of the technical quality of root filling performed by undergraduate dental students provides feedback on curriculum standards.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-04-2021
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS202104.0309.V1
Abstract: Learning dental procedures is a complex task involving the development of fine motor skills. The reported use of theories and/ or evidence for designing learning activities to develop the fine motor skills needed for dental practice is limited. The aim of this review is to explore the available body of knowledge related to learning fine motor skills in dentistry. Evidence from studies investigating motor skill learning highlights the negative impact of self-focus and self-regulation on learning outcomes, particularly during the early stages of learning. The development of activities and schedules that enable novices to demonstrate characteristics similar to experts, without the reported long period of & lsquo deliberate practice& rsquo , is clearly of value. Outcomes of learning implicitly are important in dentistry because working under stressful conditions is common, either during undergraduate study or in practice. It is suggested that learning implicitly in the simulation stage can reduce disrupted performance when transitioning to clinical settings. Therefore, further investigation of effective methods for learning dental fine motor skills is indicated, using approaches that result in robust performance, even under stressful conditions.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 03-05-2021
DOI: 10.1177/00315125211014869
Abstract: Prior research has demonstrated that motor skill learning is often disrupted by self-focus and attempts to control movement. The propensity for reinvestment (i.e., self-focus and movement control) has been associated with poor motor skill learning in sport and surgery, but it has not yet been examined in dental education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the propensity for disruptive reinvestment among dental students so as to optimize their learning needs. Volunteer dental students (210) completed three reinvestment surveys to investigate their self-reported propensity to engage in conscious self-monitoring and control of their movements and decisions. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA), with post-hoc analyses as appropriate, to assess the effect of various participant demographics on their reinvestment scores. Male participants had a lower mean reinvestment scale score than females ( p .05). Older participants were found to have a lower mean movement reinvestment score, compared to younger reinvesters ( p .05). On the other hand, younger reinvesters had a lower mean decision reinvestment score compared to the older age group ( p .05). When compared with participants in previous studies our participants obtained a significantly higher reinvestment score ( p .05). In conclusion, gender and age may be related to dental students’ self-reported propensity to reinvest. Moreover, dental students were found to be more self-conscious when compared with in iduals who perform gross motor skill tasks. These results provide insight into the acquisition of dental skills that may assist in designing pre-clinical training curriculum in dental education.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 2022
Abstract: Patients with hypodontia appear to have a different craniofacial morphology as compared with controls. They tend to have more class III skeletal pattern and retroclined upper and lower soft tissue lips as a consequence of retroclined upper and lower incisors. These features are more pronounced as the severity of the hypodontia increases. In addition to changes in craniofacial and soft tissue morphology, various dental anomalies are commonly associated with hypodontia such as microdontia of the remaining dentition, anomalies in tooth shape, particularly peg-shaped upper lateral incisors, smaller root dimensions of some of the permanent teeth, and decreased maxillary and mandibular dental arch widths and lengths measurements. Other dental anomalies which are seen in association with hypodontia are taurodontism of molars, retained deciduous molars, delayed development of the permanent teeth, distoangulation of the mandibular second premolar, and infraocclusion of the deciduous molars.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 11-06-2021
DOI: 10.3390/DJ9060068
Abstract: Learning dental procedures is a complex task involving the development of fine motor skills. The reported use of theories and/or evidence for designing learning activities to develop the fine motor skills needed for dental practice is limited. The aim of this review is to explore the available body of knowledge related to learning motor skills relevant to dentistry. Evidence from studies investigating motor skill learning highlights the negative impact of self-focus and self-regulation on learning outcomes, particularly during the early stages of learning. The development of activities and schedules that enable novices to demonstrate characteristics similar to experts, without the reported long period of ‘deliberate practice’, is clearly of value. Outcomes of learning implicitly are important in dentistry because working under stressful conditions is common, either during undergraduate study or in practice. It is suggested that learning implicitly in the simulation stage can reduce disrupted performance when transitioning to clinical settings. Therefore, further investigation of effective methods for learning dental fine motor skills is indicated, using approaches that result in robust performance, even under stressful conditions.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 08-02-2021
DOI: 10.1155/2021/6674213
Abstract: Introduction. Restorative dental treatment is a complex task involving various procedures which require the development and integration of both theoretical knowledge and fine motor skills. It aims to provide the theoretical background and role of key factors in learning these skills. Materials and Methods. The following electronic databases were searched to identify relevant articles to our topic: PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Generic keywords, that is, factors, fine, performance, and dentistry, and MeSH terms, that is, “learning,” “instruction,” “patient simulation,” “motor skills,” “perception,” “tactile,” “neurophysiology,” and “working memory” were used to conduct our comprehensive search. Results and Conclusions. Several techniques are used in performing different restorative procedures in dentistry, that is, root canal preparation, root planning, and minor oral surgery procedures. Mastering these techniques requires a good understanding of the underpinning cognitive, sensory, and neuromuscular processes. Factors including the amount and timing of instructions provided, cognitive abilities, and practice schedule of learning trials may have significant implications on the design of fine motor skill learning exercises.
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 18-04-2022
Abstract: Objectives This study investigated the effect of learning by observation on the development of fine motor skills related to endodontic manual instrumentation. We evaluated if learning by observation with guidance had any influence upon operator performance under tense or taxing conditions. Materials and Methods Dental students prepared standardized simulated root canals of varying morphology. Learning involved silent video with hand guidance (n = 23), audiovisual combined with oral instructions (n = 23), or silent video (n = 13). Undergraduates who previously completed conventional preclinical endodontics provided comparative data as a control group (n = 16). During investigations, a root canal of a lower molar plastic tooth was shaped, beginning with a primary task, and followed by multitasking conditions. The performance of the students was assessed by evaluating the accuracy of dental canal shaping and time taken to complete the task. Statistical Analysis Differences were analyzed using ANOVA (p 0.05). Results Performance was similar during learning between the three experimental groups. Accuracy of the performance did not differ within each group for the two tests nor between the groups at each test (p 0.05). Conclusions These findings demonstrated that performance subsequent to learning by observation without instructions was comparable to learning with instructed observation. The results also identified that the performance of the experimental group (1.5- to 2-hour practice) was comparable with the conventional control group (15- to 20-hour practice). Alternative approaches to learning dexterity skills in dentistry may provide improved outcomes, especially in demanding situations.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 31-12-2021
DOI: 10.1155/2021/9601968
Abstract: Objectives. Radiography-based indices can help surgeons perform detailed examinations of the surgical site and predict the surgical difficulty of cases. We aimed to develop and validate a novel CBCT-based index that can predict the surgical difficulty of sinus-augmentation procedures. Materials and Methods. In the first stage, five experienced dental specialists performed a review of the literature and closed group discussions and designed the novel index. In the next stage, the index was validated. CBCT scans of 30 patients scheduled for sinus-augmentation procedures were evaluated and assigned presurgical CBCT evaluation scores (PSCESs) by five examiners. Subsequently, one oral surgeon performed sinus augmentation using the lateral antrostomy technique and assigned surgical difficulty scores (SDSs) to each of the 30 cases along with 2 observers. The PSCESs and SDSs were statistically analysed to determine the interrater reliability and validity of the index. Results. The interrater agreement of the PSCES among the five presurgical evaluators was 0.85. The PSCES of the five evaluators had highly significant correlation ( P 0.001 , r = 0.68 to 0.76 ) with the SDS. Regression analysis revealed that for every unit increase in the PSCES, there is 0.46 to 0.57 increase in the SDS value. Conclusion. The results of this pilot study revealed that a novel CBCT-based index can be used as a reliable tool for predicting the surgical difficulty of sinus-augmentation procedures. However, the novel index needs to be tested on a larger s le of patients and evaluators for a more concrete validity and reliability.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2020
DOI: 10.1111/AEJ.12464
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Date: 24-08-2021
DOI: 10.2174/1874210602115010318
Abstract: Effective root canal treatment involves cleaning and shaping root canals using a range of instrumentation procedures and techniques. The aim of this review was to provide an update on root canal hand instrumentation techniques and how to overcome iatrogenic errors. A comprehensive search was carried out using multiple databases, PubMed, Medline, Google scholar, and Scopus, to identify relevant studies addressing the objective of this study and to summarize the current evidence to readers. Keywords, i.e ., endodontics, root canal preparation, hand instrumentation, techniques and procedural errors, as well as, MeSH terms, i.e . “endodontics”, “instrumentation”, “root canal preparation” were used to conduct our comprehensive search. The hybrid technique is a commonly-used approach that combines the benefits of both the crown-down and step-back techniques and was reported to be one of the best techniques to produce an optimal root canal preparation outcome. Hand-instrument manipulation using the balanced forced technique is also favoured as it rapidly and safely permits removal of canal contents allowing irrigants and medications to reach deep inside canal spaces. The use of hand files is still recommended for initial canal negotiation and preparation and is essential for the correction of procedural errors. This study provided an update on several hand instrumentation techniques commonly used in endodontics. The correct and safe application of these techniques can prevent iatrogenic procedural errors from occurring which optimizes the quality of treatment outcome.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-08-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S12909-020-02211-4
Abstract: To investigate the effectiveness of technology-enhanced teaching and assessment methods of undergraduate preclinical skills in comparison to conventional methods. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented using both manual and electronic search methods, including PubMed, Wiley, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The search and selection of articles that met the inclusion criteria were carried out in duplicates. A Cochrane data extraction form for RCTs was used to extract the relevant information from all included articles. Risk of bias of all included articles was assessed independently by two authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A total of 19 randomized controlled clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The majority of the studies included in this review have a high risk of bias mainly due to incomplete data, lack of blinding of the examiners, and due to other biases, such as small s le sizes, not accounting for additional hours of training, and the lack of calibration of examiners grading the preparations. Conflicting results were reported in the included studies with regards to whether there were differences between the intervention and control groups in the outcome measure of quality of students’ performance. A meta-analysis could not be done for this study due to the heterogeneity among the included studies. Technology-enhanced teaching and assessment tools used in preclinical skills training of undergraduate dental students have the potential to improve students’ performance. However, due to the conflicting outcomes reported in the 19 studies included in this systematic review and their high risk of bias, better quality studies are required to find a definitive answer to the research question of this systematic review.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 14-10-2020
DOI: 10.1155/2020/8672303
Abstract: Introduction. Dental education involves teaching and assessing the acquisition of verifiable domains that require superior psychomotor, communication, and cognitive skills. Evolving technologies and methods of assessment could enhance student’s learning environment and improve tutor assessment experience. The aim of this study was to review the current body of research and evaluate the effectiveness of various methods of assessments in improving learning and performance in preclinical and clinical dental practice. Materials and Methods. A search strategy was implemented using electronic search in major databases. The following key terms, clinical skills, preclinical, dental students, and assessment, were included in the search. Two reviewers independently screened all the articles retrieved following very specific inclusion criteria. Results. The initial search generated 5371 articles and 24 articles were selected for review and data extraction. Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to measure interrater agreement and a score of 94.7% was obtained. Conclusion. Preclinical assessment is an effective tool for promoting skills transfer to clinical phase. Early psychomotor skills assessment is valuable. It allows early intervention in the learning process and assists in effective utilization of learning resources. Technology-enhanced assessment systems allow better patient simulation, enhance learning and self-assessment experiences, and improve performance evaluation. However, these systems serve as an adjunct to conventional assessment methods. Further research should aim at calibrating and integrating these systems to optimize students learning and performance.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 25-08-2020
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-46981/V2
Abstract: Background: To investigate the effectiveness of technology-enhanced teaching and assessment methods of undergraduate preclinical skills in comparison to conventional methods. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was implemented using both manual and electronic search methods, including PubMed, Wiley, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The search and selection of articles that met the inclusion criteria were carried out in duplicates. A Cochrane data extraction form for RCTs was used to extract the relevant information from all included articles. Risk of bias of all included articles was assessed independently by two authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : A total of 19 randomized controlled clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The majority of the studies included in this review have a high risk of bias mainly due to incomplete data, lack of blinding of the examiners, and due to other biases, such as small s le sizes, not accounting for additional hours of training, and the lack of calibration of examiners grading the preparations. Conflicting results were reported in the included studies with regards to whether there were differences between the intervention and control groups in the outcome measure of quality of students’ performance. A meta-analysis could not be done for this study due to the heterogeneity among the included studies. Conclusions: Technology-enhanced teaching and assessment tools used in preclinical skills training of undergraduate dental students have the potential to improve students’ performance. However, due to the conflicting outcomes reported in the 19 studies included in this systematic review and their high risk of bias, better quality studies are required to find a definitive answer to the research question of this systematic review.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and Korean Society for Chemotherapy
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.3947/IC.2022.0042
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 29-07-2020
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-46981/V1
Abstract: Background: To investigate the effectiveness of technology-enhanced teaching and assessment methods of undergraduate preclinical skills in comparison to conventional methods. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was implemented using both manual and electronic search methods, including PubMed, Wiley, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The search and selection of articles that met the inclusion criteria were carried out in duplicates. A Cochrane data extraction form for RCTs was used to extract the relevant information from all included articles. Risk of bias of all included articles was assessed independently by two authors using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : A total of 19 randomized controlled clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The majority of the studies included in this review have a high risk of bias mainly due to incomplete data, lack of blinding of the examiners, and due to other biases, such as small s le sizes, not accounting for additional hours of training, and the lack of calibration of examiners grading the preparations. Conflicting results were reported in the included studies with regards to whether there were differences between the intervention and control groups in the outcome measure of quality of students’ performance. A meta-analysis could not be done for this study due to the heterogeneity among the included studies. Conclusions: Technology-enhanced teaching and assessment tools used in preclinical skills training of undergraduate dental students have the potential to improve students’ performance. However, due to the conflicting outcomes reported in the 19 studies included in this systematic review and their high risk of bias, better quality studies are required to find a definitive answer to the research question of this systematic review.
Start Date: 2014
End Date: 2015
Funder: Australian Dental Research Foundation
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2013
End Date: 2014
Funder: Australian Dental Research Foundation
View Funded Activity