Short Communication

A Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess the Need for Introduction of Early Clinical Exposure in Pre-Clinical Complete Denture Prosthodontics

Abstract

Introduction: Pre-clinical prosthodontics training in India is restricted primarily to didactic lectures and development of laboratory skills, with no patient contact. The introduction of early clinical exposure (ECE) as a supplement to the traditional curriculum, aimed at improving the competency of dental undergraduates, needs to be explored.

Objectives: To assess students’ perceived needs regarding the introduction of ECE in the subject of pre-clinical prosthodontics (PCP) and to identify the barriers perceived by students in the learning of the subject.

Materials and Method:  A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a 25-item semi-structured validated and pilot-tested anonymous questionnaire based on 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire collected information about; the socio-demographic profile of the students, understanding the difficulties faced by them in learning and applying pre-clinical prosthodontics in clinical settings and students’ perceived needs for introduction of ECE in the subject of PCP.

Results: A total of 26 students responded to the questionnaire. Majority of the respondents reported difficulty in performing the border molding step (42.3%-50%) and gave a mixed response for the jaw relation record step. More than 70% of the respondents strongly agreed that inclusion of clinical demonstration of complete denture procedures (ECE) on patients in second year will be beneficial.

Conclusion: Students felt a strong need for inclusion of ECE in the subject of PCP. The major barrier identified by students was the lack of ability to correlate theoretical aspects of border molding procedure taught in PCP with its clinical aspects on patients in third year.

 

 

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IssueVol 22 (Continuously Published Article-Based) QRcode
SectionShort Communication
Keywords
Needs Assessment Education Dental Denture Complete
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How to Cite
1.
Maheshwari K, Shigli K, Tiwari B, Dwarakananda B, Oberoi SS. A Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess the Need for Introduction of Early Clinical Exposure in Pre-Clinical Complete Denture Prosthodontics. Front Dent. 2025;22.