Student perception about efficacy of preclinical fixed prosthodontic training to facilitate smooth transition to clinical context

BACKGROUND: Studies indicate that the initial transition period between preclinical and clinical phases are the most stressful. The students have experienced the difficulty in performing clinical procedures due to the vast difference in the clinical and preclinical setup. It is better to identify the particular skill found poorly correlated, enabling educators to address the concerns. We sought the opinion and suggestion from the beneficiary student on fixed prosthodontics steps difficult to practice in clinical setup at the initial stage, their suggestion to overcome these shortcomings was also sought. AIMS: To determine the fixed prosthodontics skills difficult to perform in a transition period due to poor correlation between preclinical and clinical training from our focus group study on the student's perception, and their suggestion regarding alternative methods to improve the preclinical training. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Focus groups in the study were the students involved in clinical practice of fixed partial denture procedure. A well-constructed Questionnaire, designed to evaluate the difficult clinical steps in a transitional period and suggestion to improve the existing preclinical training was distributed to all focus group students. The response to the questionnaire was based on the five-point Likert scale. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Medians, frequencies were used to assess their perception on preclinical training and suggestion. RESULTS: A total of 97 students participated in the study, 88% response received during the survey. The clinical steps student felt difficult during a transition period from preclinical to clinical phase were positional variations of teeth (52.6%-63.9%), fluid control (48.5-67.1%), shade selection procedure (29.9%-50.5%), subgingival cervical finish line preparation (38.1-51.5%), and gingival retraction procedure. The students felt that the inclusion of problem-based learning, preclinical patient exposure, and better simulation will alleviate the stress during the transition period. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the tooth preparation steps found difficult to practice in a transition period between preclinical and clinical phases. This study also obtained suggestions from the students for innovative upgradation of the course curricula.