[Educational effects of PBL for students in the Faculty of Dentistry--with special reference to the educational effects on dysphagia--].
OBJECTIVE
Although the importance of student education has long been emphasized and various educational strategies have been attempted, the PBL method is deemed to be effective among them. Recently, the PBL method was therefore employed in our lecture on dysphagia in order to examine its efficacy.


METHODS
Thirty-one female and 35 male students (66 in total, 6th-grade students in the Department of Dentistry) were enrolled in this study which was performed from February 9 to June 29, 2006. The students were allocated into 2 groups, 3-4 per group. Two kinds of educational training program on dysphagia were given by a director/tutor experienced in clinical practice for dysphagia. The first group received a lecture of the conventional type (conventional group), while the latter group received a lecture of PBL (PBL group). In both groups, an identical X-ray film taken during swallowing was evaluated. In addition, the students' impression on the lecture they received was obtained by means of questionnaires.


RESULTS
The coincident rate of evaluation on the swallowing image was better in the PBL group than the conventional group on average. Among 23 evaluation items, a coincident rate more than moderate was obtained on 4 and 8 items in the conventional and PBL groups respectively. From the results of the questionnaire survey, it was revealed that the item "motivation" was rated to be significantly better in the PBL than in the conventional group.


CONCLUSIONS
A lecture on dysphagia was given by 2 kinds of educational strategy. From the results of this study, it was revealed that the PBL method was more effective for enhancing the students' motivation on the lecture. In the PBL group, the lecture was given by individual cases with subsequently increased questions and answers and promoted positive participation in the lecture as compared to the conventional group. Furthermore, students' motivation was raised probably due to a good understanding of the case details upon evaluation of the swallowing image with the resultant enhanced rate of coincidence. In order to obtain both educational and enlightening effects simultaneously, an educational program by the PBL method was thus considered to be an effective strategy.
Uchimiya
Yoichiro
Y
Gerodontology, Department of Gerodontology, Division of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
D000328:Adult; D003680:Deglutition Disorders; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D013335:Students, Dental; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires