Posterior composite restorations: Theoretical and practical teaching of undergraduate students in Serbia and abroad

Introduction. Due to the educational process inertia based on textbook literature, teaching of undergraduate students in dental schools is often behind modern practice. From the aspect of minimally invasive dentistry, composites are materials of choice for the reconstruction of most lesions in posterior teeth. The objective of the study was to systematize data about theoretical and practical teaching of undergraduate students regarding the application of posterior resin composites in the world's dental schools and compare it with the data obtained from the School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade. Material and Methods. MEDLINE database was searched for articles based on keywords dental education and posterior composites. Only articles published in the last five years and those which used the same questionnaire were included in the study. Results. Data were analyzed for the dental schools from the UK and Ireland, Spain, Japan, United States and Canada. Increased theoretical and practical teaching of students regarding posterior composites is noted in most schools. The dominant contraindication for using resin composite is allergy to its ingredients. Rubber dam is the most common method of providing aseptic conditions and dry field in the world, whereas in our school it is used in negligible number of cases. In a number of schools, metal matrices and wooden wedges are recommended for the proximal cavity restoration. Glass-ionomer cement is commonly used as a liner. Polishing and finishing of restorations is performed in the same session in 90-100% of the schools except in Japan, where it is carried out after 24 hours. Conclusion. Theoretical and practical teaching of posterior composite restorations is increasing in the world's dental centers. It is necessary to harmonize teaching in our school with international trends in the use of rubber dam, certain aspects of cavity design and protocols for the treatment of deep caries lesions.
Uvod. Stomatološka edukacija na osnovnim studijama često zaostaje za savremenom praksom zbog tromosti našeg nastavnog procesa, koji je zasnovan na udžbeničkoj literaturi. S aspekta minimalno invazivne stomatologije, kompoziti su materijali izbora za rekonstrukciju većine lezija na bočnim zubima. Cilj rada je bio da se sistematizuju podaci iz svetskih centara o teorijskoj i praktičnoj edukaciji studenata osnovnih studija stomatologije o primeni kompozita u bočnoj regiji i uporede s edukacijom na Stomatološkom fakultetu Univerziteta u Beogradu. Materijal i metode rada. Pretraživanjem baze podataka MEDLINE prema ključnim rečima dental education i posterior composites, odabrana su istraživanja objavljena u poslednjih pet godina u kojima su korišćene istovetne ankete. Rezultati. Analizirani su podaci za stomatološke škole u Velikoj Britaniji i Irskoj, Španiji, Japanu, Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama i Kanadi. U većini škola uočava se trend povećanja teorijske i praktične obuke učenika. Jedina dominantna kontraindikacija je alergija na sastojke kompozitnih materijala. Koferdam je najčešća metoda obezbeđivanja aseptičnih uslova i suvog polja rada u svetu, dok se kod nas koristi u zanemarljivom broju slučajeva. Najveći broj škola zastupa metalne matrice i drvene kočiće za proksimalne kavitete. Glasjonomer- cement se najčešće koristi za podlaganje dubokih kaviteta. Završna obrada ispuna u istoj seansi se primenjuje u 90-100% škola, osim u Japanu, gde se vrši i odložena obrada nakon 24 časa. Zaključak. Teorijska i praktična nastava o kompozitima u bočnoj regiji sve je češća u svetskim centrima. Potrebno je usklađivanje nastave kod nas s međunarodnim trendovima u pogledu primene koferdama, pojedinih aspekata dizajna kaviteta i protokola za lečenje dubokog karijesa.