title: Electronic laboratory quality assurance program: A method of enhancing the prosthodontic curriculum and addressing accreditation standards.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An electronic quality assurance (eQA) program was developed to replace a paper-based system and to address standards introduced by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and to improve educational outcomes. This eQA program provides feedback to predoctoral dental students on prosthodontic laboratory steps at New York University College of Dentistry.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the eQA program of performing laboratory quality assurance with the former paper-based format.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourth-year predoctoral dental students (n=334) who experienced both the paper-based and the electronic version of the quality assurance program were surveyed about their experiences. Additionally, data extracted from the eQA program were analyzed to identify areas of weakness in the curriculum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study findings revealed that 73.8% of the students preferred the eQA program to the paper-based version. The average number of treatments that did not pass quality assurance standards was 119.5 per month. This indicated a 6.34% laboratory failure rate. Further analysis of these data revealed that 62.1% of the errors were related to fixed prosthodontic treatment, 27.9% to partial removable dental prostheses, and 10% to complete removable dental prostheses in the first 18 months of program implementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The eQA program was favored by dental students who have experienced both electronic and paper-based versions of the system. Error type analysis can yield the ability to create customized faculty standardization sessions and refine the didactic and clinical teaching of the predoctoral students. This program was also able to link patient care activity with the student's laboratory activities, thus addressing the latest requirements of the CODA regarding the competence of graduates in evaluating laboratory work related to their patient care.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor and Codirector of Predoctoral Fixed Prosthodontics Clinics, Department of Prosthodontics, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY. Electronic address: mm4694@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moghadam
authors.affiliation: Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Prosthodontics, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jahangiri
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation / Q000592:standards*; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D003779:Denture Design / Q000592:standards; D003824:Denture, Complete / Q000592:standards; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed / Q000592:standards; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable / Q000592:standards; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000592:standards; D005246:Feedback; D063005:Health Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007754:Laboratories, Dental / Q000592:standards*; D009518:New York; D016730:Program Development / Q000592:standards; D011476:Prosthodontics / Q000193:education*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011786:Quality Control; D013335:Students, Dental