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Several manufacturers produce devices designed to warm composite resins used in restorative dentistry. Previous investigators have examined the effects of heating composite restorative resins prior to placement and polymerization. Heating has been reported to reduce viscosity, improve ease of placement, enhance monomer conversion, and reduce microleakage. The aim of the present study was to compare shear bond strengths of room temperature (22°C) and prewarmed (54°C) restorative composite resin. Extracted bovine mandibular incisors were sectioned sagittally and embedded in acrylic cylinders. Enamel was selectively etched with 37% phosphoric acid, rinsed, and dried. Self-etching primer was applied to both enamel and dentin. Self-etching adhesive was then applied and photopolymerized. Composite resin capsules were then divided into prewarmed and room temperature groups. Fourteen composite specimens prewarmed in an incubator were applied to the prepared enamel and dentin and photopolymerized. Fourteen room temperature composite specimens were likewise placed. After storage in water for 24 hours, all composite specimens were subjected to shear stress testing. The resulting data were analyzed with a t test (P = 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the shear bond strengths of the prewarmed and room temperature composite resin specimens. Warming does not appear to affect bond strength of composite resin bonded to both dentin and enamel.

The purpose of this article is to describe the development and implementation of a grading software system, accessible from any platform, that engages today’s generation of students and replaces paper grading. Set up at one U.S. dental school in an all-access, anytime (24/7) web-based program accessed through tablets, the software allows for a comparison between students’ self-grading and instructor grading. This comparison facilitates student-faculty interaction, promoting discussion and student learning. The software can also be used for practical examination grading in which blinded grading between instructors is possible. The data gathered can produce descriptive reports students can draw upon to encourage self-learning and guided learning, propelling students to a better understanding of critical principles as they progress through multiple psychomotor skill sets. Other reports generated by the software allow for instructor calibration, exporting of grades directly into the university grading report system, and visual analysis of trends within each class. In a post-course survey, students (56 percent response rate) and faculty (79 percent response rate) agreed that the electronic grading was more efficient and allowed more time for faculty-student interaction than the previous grading system, thus creating an environment more conducive to learning. Overall, the software has improved students’ perception of enhanced kinetic skills, while facilitating administration of preclinical projects and practical examinations.

The aim of this study was to compare and provide an overview of state policies on occupational exposure, dosimetry, collimation, patient protection, and the use of portable handheld X-ray machines in dentistry. State government webpages containing radiation protection rules and regulations were scanned. The contents were compared against current federal regulations established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They were further evaluated in light of current recommendations from the National Council on Radiation ProtectionMeasurements (NCRP) and the American Dental Association (ADA). Most states' regulations mirror the exposure limits set forth by the NRC and FDA. Nonregulatory recommendations regarding use of dental radiography are periodically put forth by the NCRP and the ADA. State and federal agencies often follow recommendations from these scientific organizations when creating regulations. Clinicians must be aware of their state's radiation protection rules, as variations among states exist. In addition, recommendations published by organizations such as the NCRP and the ADA, while not legally binding, contribute significantly to the reduction of radiation risks for operators and patients alike.

The purpose of this article is to describe the development and implementation of a grading software system, accessible from any platform, that engages today's generation of students and replaces paper grading. Set up at one U.S. dental school in an all-access, anytime (24/7) web-based program accessed through tablets, the software allows for a comparison between students' self-grading and instructor grading. This comparison facilitates student-faculty interaction, promoting discussion and student learning. The software can also be used for practical examination grading in which blinded grading between instructors is possible. The data gathered can produce descriptive reports students can draw upon to encourage self-learning and guided learning, propelling students to a better understanding of critical principles as they progress through multiple psychomotor skill sets. Other reports generated by the software allow for instructor calibration, exporting of grades directly into the university grading report system, and visual analysis of trends within each class. In a post-course survey, students (56 percent response rate) and faculty (79 percent response rate) agreed that the electronic grading was more efficient and allowed more time for faculty-student interaction than the previous grading system, thus creating an environment more conducive to learning. Overall, the software has improved students' perception of enhanced kinetic skills, while facilitating administration of preclinical projects and practical examinations.

At Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona, every effort is made to teach our students to be critical thinkers. For this reason we have modified the way we administer our practical examinations in the preclinical simulation clinic in order to achieve this goal. We believe that we can test both hand skills and critical thinking capabilities during the same practical examination. This resource outlines the method and logistics of a progress examination format that incorporates critical thinking into hand skills testing. The target audience for this resource is dental faculty in a preclinical environment. The components of the examination are a written critical thinking examination, a case scenario, and a practical exercise for which the students do not have previous knowledge of the procedures on the examination. They must deduce from a scenario (with photographs and radiographs) which teeth and/or surfaces they will work on, the types of preparations, and what materials to use. The students are aware only that they will be tested on procedures that they have already learned. During this type of examination the students are forced to diagnose and think critically, skills that need to be developed before they transfer to patient care, not just after. We believe that we can test both hand skills and critical thinking capabilities during the same practical examination.

Introduction In dental programs, students have traditionally transitioned from the second year to the third year upon completion of their second year requirements. With the planned conversion of national dental boards to a single cumulative and comprehensive test of knowledge, and licensure examinations incorporating increasingly rigorous comprehensive assessments, dental schools must engage students in cumulative and comprehensive testing. These factors led the Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine – Arizona to develop a comprehensive and rigorous practical assessment for second-year dental students. Methods The students complete a practical examination (as part of a more comprehensive assessing method), taking place over 4 days, not only to assess hand skills and time management, but also to evaluate how independently the students can work. In this examination the students must determine their own sequence of procedures, and demonstrate time management. The students must plan their procedures in order to complete them efficiently in the assigned time. Results Over the past 4 years, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine – Arizona has been successfully using these assessments to evaluate the students' progression and their readiness to advance to patient care. Each year we have a failure rate between 5-10% on the examination. These students are required to complete a two-week remediation course. From our experience, these students eventually do very well in patient care due to the intensive one-on-one instruction and repetition experienced during this remediation process. Discussion The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the progression of dental students and their readiness to advance to patient care in a comprehensive simulated licensure examination environment at the end of the second curricular year. This examination allows the faculty and administration to identify students who need additional training before beginning patient care. The examination requires a considerable time commitment of the faculty; time must also be scheduled in the curriculum for the 4 days of the examination. In addition, a time frame of 4 hours is needed to familiarize the students with the guidelines and protocols.

Previous studies have found that variations in mixing technique can influence the porosity content of alginate impression material. The aim of this study was twofold: determine whether bubble formation in alginate is influenced by the sequence of water/powder addition prior to mixing, and to compare 4 different mixing techniques. Manual spatulation, an automated spinning bowl, a centrifugal mixer and a vacuum mixer were evaluated for the resulting porosity in the set alginate. It was found that adding powder first, versus water first, made no difference in the bubble content using the 3 automated mixing techniques (P = 0.714). However, porosity was significantly less for powder-first trials using manual spatulation (P0.05). It was also found that surface porosity in the resulting impressions was significantly less for centrifugal and vacuum mixing when compared to manual spatulation, while internal porosity was significantly less for centrifugal mixing compared to all other mixing techniques (P0.05). The centrifugal mixing and vacuum mixing techniques required the least amount of mixing time.

A survey was designed to determine how willingly patients reveal personal health information on dental health history forms. After giving informed consent, 107 patients at a university dental hygiene program completed a 10-item survey privately and anonymously. The results suggest that a significant number of patients provide inaccurate or incomplete information to questions routinely asked on the dental health history form.

Dental clinicians have been wearing examination gloves routinely during clinical procedures since 1986, when the CDC advised using them as part of standard personal protective equipment recommendations. Initially, latex was virtually the only material available for examination glove construction; however, in recent years, numerous other materials have been utilized for glove construction in response to the increased recognition of latex allergies among patients and dental health care workers. Examination gloves are marketed as "non-sterile" according to the FDA, which sets specific standards governing the manufacturing and distribution of these products. This study examined the prevalence of bacterial organisms present in a variety of freshly opened glove boxes. The same glove boxes were put into clinical use for a period of time and re-tested for the presence of bacteria. The quantity of bacteria present on gloves in the new boxes differed in comparison to the gloves that remained in the used boxes.

of Sumerian city-states, including Akkad (Agade), Eridu, Lagash, Nippur, and Ur, and over the whole land of Sumer 1). Portions of most of these lamentations have been recovered, and parts of several of them have been published in translation, including the "Lamentation Over the Destruction of Ur" 2), "The Second Lamentation for Ur" 3), the "Lamentation Over the Destruction of Nippur" 4), and the "Lamentation Over the Destruction of Akkad" 5).