Clinic simulation and preclinical performance

The physical environment in which dental students learn preclinical skills has been a focus of attention recently; the effect of this variable on practical examination performance by first-year students in a preclinical dentistry course was examined. In a controlled, two-part experiment, students doing preclinical work in the clinic did not perform significantly better on practical examinations than students working in a typical laboratory environment. Other factors such as enthusiasm, motivation, satisfaction, operator comfort, long-term productivity, and exposure to the clinical environment prior to patient treatment are important dimensions of the preclinical experience; the effect of the environment on these factors should be examined.

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				T. R. Jasinevicius, M. Landers, S. Nelson, and A. Urbankova An Evaluation of Two Dental Simulation Systems: Virtual Reality versus Contemporary Non-Computer-Assisted J Dent Educ., November 1, 2004; 68(11): 1151 - 1162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]