MedEdPORTAL (Mar 2014)
Dental Anatomy Review for Dental Students
Abstract
Abstract Introduction This material represents a self-contained dental anatomy course that has a proven record of success in teaching dental anatomy using online technology. Through self-study, self-review and subsequent assessment, dental students should learn sufficient dental anatomy to distinguish normal from abnormal eruption patterns, determine approximate age, and distinguish normal from abnormal tooth structure. This will be the common basis for all discussions related to caries and periodontal disease detection, prevention, and understanding of the disease processes. Methods The module includes an instructor's guide, several PowerPoint presentations, an assessment, and an assessment key. This work should provide a valuable resource for a dental anatomy course as well as a dental anatomy review. The purpose of this course is to assist the dental student and/or practitioner in developing basic dental anatomy knowledge. Basic anatomy knowledge is tantamount to distinguishing normal from abnormal in terms of structure, eruption patterns, disease, and developmental anomalies and understanding other aspects of the orofacial complex. Results This work has been used to successfully teach dental students dental anatomy for about 15 years at two different dental institutions. When compared with traditional lecture, this material used as self-study was just as effective. Discussion Increasing the number of natural tooth images would greatly enhance learning. The included images selected were “typical” representations of teeth. However, like all human anatomy, dental anatomy has many instances of biologic variation. A greater number of variation examples would definitely prepare the student for what they are likely to encounter in a dental practice environment. The work could also likely benefit from more interactive capabilities which are pervasive and available in today's world of technology. Overall, the work is capable of achieving its listed objectives, but the improvements listed above might make it a more definitive work.
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