Inci Oktay

Evaluation of dental students' perception and self‑confidence levels regarding endodontic treatment

Objectives: The aim of this study was to obtain information about senior dental students′ perceptions and self-confidence levels regarding endodontic practice. Materials and Methods: Anonymous survey forms were handed out to senior students at Yeditepe University, Faculty of Dentistry. The students were asked to score their level of confidence using a 5-point scale and comment about future practices. Results: The response rate of the survey was 88%. 11.9% expressed endodontics as the first branch in terms of difficulty. The majority (90.5%) indicated they would perform root canal treatments within their expertise limit in the future but refer difficult cases to an endodontist. Bleaching of endodontically treated teeth, managing flare-ups, placement of a rubber dam were procedures in which students reported the lowest confidence (2.55 ± 1.17, 3.24 ± 0.96, 3.24 ± 1.19, respectively). On the other hand, students felt the lowest confidence in the treatment of maxillary molars followed by mandibular molars (3.43 ± 1.02 and 3.93 ± 0.97, respectively). Students also reported the lowest confidence in root resorptions, endo-perio lesions, traumas, retreatments and apexifications (2.93 ± 1.16, 3.07 ± 0.89, 3.24 ± 0.85, 3.33 ± 1.7 and 3.36 ± 1.1, respectively). Conclusions: The results showing students′ lower confidence in more challenging aspects of dentistry may be related with the attitude of dental schools to refer these cases to post graduate students and instilling information about these cases on a theoretical basis only. Though there seems to be a tendency for students to refer challenging cases to a specialist in future, authorities should give priority to enhance the way information and experience is conveyed regarding various aspects of endodontic treatment.

Perceived sources and levels of stress, general self-efficacy and coping strategies in preclinical dental students

Abstract Dental education programs are known to be highly stressful and stress can affect general health. The aims were to identify sources of stress among preclinical students and to evaluate their perceived levels of stress, self-efficacy and effective coping strategies in a private dental school. One hundred preclinical students in a Turkish private dental school were surveyed using dental environment stress (DES), perceived stress (PSS), general self-efficacy (G-SES) and brief coping scales (Brief-COPE). Age, gender, history of psychiatric treatment, factors that affected the choice of dentistry, choice rank of dental school, scholarship and income was recorded. ‘Exams and grades’ followed by ‘Fear of failing course or year’ were found to be the most stressprovoking factors. The most and the least stressprovoking DES domains were ‘Workload’ and ‘Social stressors’, respectively. ‘Social stressors’ affected male more than female (p < .05). The most and the least common coping strategies were found to be ‘Planning’, and ‘Drug’, respectively. Female used ‘Instrumental support’ more than male (p < .05). Demographic factors had impact on the perceived stress factors and levels, as well as coping strategies. Unlike previous studies establishing high stress levels in dental students, preclinical students displayed moderate level of stress. Clinical dental education might be more responsible for creating stress.

Total and Interregional Differences of the Need for Orthodontic Treatment in Turkey: Epidemiologic Surveillance Analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the need for orthodontic treatment in Turkey and the differences between the 7 geographic regions. Materials and Methods: In the orthodontic part of the survey, extraoral and intraoral examination of 1023 randomly selected individuals (500 female and 523 male, mean ages 13.10±3.11 years) was performed. The need of orthodontic treatment was evaluated with the aesthetic component (AC) and dental health component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). To analyze the data, descriptive statistical methods (mean value, prevalence ratio, and standard deviation) were performed. The significance of regional IOTN differences and gender distributions were assessed by means of chi-square test. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in gender distribution in the total and different regional samples (p>0.05). According to the DHC, 28.7% did not need orthodontic treatment, 16.3% were borderline cases, and 55.0% had severe n...

Ethical decision making in dental education: a preliminary study

BackgroundIn terms of ethical decision making, every clinical case, when seen as an ethical problem, may be analyzed by means of four topics: medical indications, patient preferences, quality of life, contextual features. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of 4th year dental students on Ethical Decision Making before and after a course on ethics.MethodsFourth year dental students (n = 37) from academic year 2013–2014 participated in the study. A 3-h lecture, which was about four topics approach to clinical ethical case analysis, was given to the students. The lecture was based on case scenarios related with dental ethics. After the completion of lectures,a case scenario was presented to the students to assess their ethical decision making abilities. At the end of the exam, four topics and ethical judgment were evaluated. Their performances on this examination were evaluated before and after lectures. Statistical evaluation was performed with the significance level set at p < 0.05.ResultsA statistically significant difference was found between the means of four topics (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of judgment of ethical decision (p > 0.05). The mean total score of the students after the course was significantly higher than before course (67.5 and 54.4, respectively; p < 0.05).ConclusionMore lectures should be implemented to the curriculum to increase the student awareness of ethical issues and to reach the ultimate goals of dental education.

Prevalence of Orthodontic Malocclusion and Evaluation Criteria in 7 Geographic Regions of Turkey

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic evaluation criteria in Turkey and determine differences among the 7 regions. Materials and Method: In our research, extra- and intraoral examination of 1023 randomly selected persons from rural and central parts of different regions (500 female subjects and 523 male subjects; mean age = 13.10 ± 3.11) were performed. To analyze the data, descriptive statistical methods (mean value, prevalence ratio, standard deviation) were carried out. The significance of regional differences of the evaluation criteria and gender distributions were assessed by means of a χ2 test. Results: Comparison of the classification of malocclusion, crossbite, chin deviation asymmetry, smile line, cleft lip and palate, and profile among the regions showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Class I, II, and III malocclusion was most frequently noted in the Marmara, Aegean, and Central Anatolia regions, respectively. Crossbite was ...