title: A controlled evaluation of computer assisted training simulations in geriatric dentistry.
abstract: The increasing number of geriatric dental patients and the development of treatment plans that require consideration of complex psychosocial, socioeconomic, and medical/medication factors necessitates a change in the traditional teaching of treatment planning. A computer-assisted instructional program was developed to simulate the dentist-geriatric patient interaction and to train students in clinical decision making for the geriatric patient. This study compared the effects of this program with a more traditional approach based on readings from the geriatric dentistry literature. Twenty third-year dental students were matched on grade point average and randomly assigned to the computer or literature-based groups. They were pretested using a clinical analogue of a geriatric patient and then instructed to use either the computer or literature-based educational units. The students were then post-tested on a second clinical analogue. Students performed similarly at pretest. At post-test, both the computer and literature-based subjects were found to have acquired significantly greater evaluation points, to make fewer errors, and to design more involved treatment plans than at pretest. Comparison of computer and literature-based subjects' performance revealed no significant main or interaction effects regarding type of educational unit used. Consistent nonsignificant trends were noted with the computer-based subjects out-performing literature-based subjects on each outcome variable. In addition, the computer-based subjects had more positive feelings about the educational unit than the literature-based subjects at a statistically significant level. These findings suggest that the computer program is an effective alternative method for developing clinical decision skills in students treating geriatric patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Medicine and Public Health, University of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles 90089-0641.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mulligan
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003657:Decision Making; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016544:Patient Simulation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013782:Textbooks as Topic