Evaluating a Team-Based Learning Method for Detecting Dental Caries in Dental Students

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the team-based learning environment facilitated the competency of third year dental students in caries detection and activity assessment. Corresponding data were achieved using digital radiographs to determine the carious lesions in three clinical cases. The distribution of the caries evaluations for each of the 36 students and the 12 teams were tabulated for each mesial and distal surface of each tooth for the three patients. In the first stage of the evaluation, students worked individually for caries assessment. In the second stage, twelve teams of three students each performed the assessment. The teams had a significantly larger percentage of accurate anterior caries evaluations (54%) than the individual students (33%) (X[superscript 2] = 5.50; p = 0.019), but also saw significantly more carious lesions when there was no lesion (126%) compared to the students working singly (85%) (X[superscript 2] = 7.55; p = 0.006). The individual students, however, were significantly more likely to incorrectly call incipient caries active (81%) than the teams (14%).