Development of a Curriculum to Improve Manual Dexterity in Dentistry

Dental education is based on both didactic and practical courses; the latter requires manual dexterity that is highly technical, intensive and stressful.

Objectives: to obtain manual dexterity essential to dental practice, develop a curriculum, and test its effect on dental practical skills.

Methods: This research was divided into 3 phases. The manual dexterity and ways to improve those skills were collected in phase I by in-depth interviews and focus group discussion in 31 subjects who were dental students, dentists, lecturers in the dental school and school of art at Khon Kaen University. In phase II, a curriculum was developed and piloted in 50 first-year and newly admitted 45 second-year dental students. In phase III, the effect of curriculum was tested in 68 first-year dental students by dividing them into control and experimental (passing the curriculum) groups. The quality of three dental laboratory exercises was compared between the two groups.

Results: (1) Manual dexterity needed for dental practice included tactile sensation, control of finger-hand movement, control of finger-hand force and instrument grasp. Experts believed these skills could be improved by trainings of coordination and dexterity, muscle strength, muscle tone, physical endurance, physical skill, instrumental grasp and finger rest, range of motion and tactile sensation. (2) The developed curriculum was composed of various activities to promote all the above skills spanning 15 sessions with 3 hours per session. Most students were satisfied with this curriculum and suggested it be incorporated into the existing dental curriculum. (3) The quality of dental laboratory works in the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The manual dexterity is important in dental practice and can be improved by our customized curriculum.