TDG – Reforming the Curriculum for Improved Student Learning in Clinical Dentistry

Abstract

Endodontic treatment is concerned with the management of pulpal and periapical diseases – the clinical procedures involved is commonly known as Root Canal Therapy. Preclinical endodontic education used to be carried out on extracted human teeth mounted in a small acrylic block that was hand-held during practical class, which hardly simulates the clinical situation where the tooth is situated in the mouth. This project has explored and arrived at a means to simulate the clinical setting for carrying out the procedures for root canal therapy in a safe environment in the simulation laboratory, before students will proceed to perform that skill in the dental polyclinic.

Several workshops on endodontic procedures have been organized for all part-time and full-time clinical teachers of the Faculty of Dentistry using the simulated models. Video clips of various stages of root canal therapy in a live demonstration were captured to facilitate understanding of the procedures. Assessment of the clinical skills will be performed using the simulated models for better standardization of the task to be performed by each student.

Deliverables