A comparative study of the improvement after different self-assessment methods of tooth preparation

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare the degree of tooth preparation abilities of students according to three self-assessment methods.Materials and Methodsforty-eight sophomores in Kyungpook National University College of Dentistry were divided into three experimental groups. Students performed tooth preparation of the left mandibular first molar for full gold crown. They performed self-assessment using the three methods (visual, digital, and putty index self-assessment group), and reperformed tooth preparation. An intraoral scanner was used to scan each tooth model (prepared tooth and unprepared tooth), and data were acquired in standard tessellation language (STL) file format. The STL files of prepared tooth and unprepared tooth were superimposed using the 3-dimensional analysis software (Geomagic control X). And the reduction amount was measured. In the statistical analysis, all values of reduction amount were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal-Wallis test (α = 0.05).ResultsThe three self-assessment methods showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). The putty index self-assessment group showed the highest reduction in error than the digital self-assessment method.ConclusionWithin limitations of this study, students showed significant differences in improvement of tooth preparation ability according to the three self-evaluation methods.