Hands-on training based on quantifying radiant exposure improves how dental students cure composites: Skill retention at 2-year follow-up

Abstract

Introduction: The durability and longevity of composite restoration are much dependent on the accurate delivery of the energy required to polymerise the material. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which undergraduate dental students acquire and retain light-curing skills following hands-on training. Materials and Methods: Hands-on training comprises faculty tutoring for critical aspects of the light-curing procedure, such as distance and angulation of the light-curing tip. Assessments of the students' ability to deliver a specified radiant exposure to class III and I simulated RBCs using a dental simulator (MARC-PS®) at three different time points after the training. Data were analysed using repeated measure ANOVA. Results: Immediately after the training, students' performance on curing was improved (p