Background: To prevent infectious complications from transient bacteremia in patients with specific medical conditions, antibiotic prophylaxis is considered. Although many guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis have been published; recommendations are often unclear. This study was conducted to assess the confidence of the dental students in administering antibiotics for the patients with systemic diseases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive questionnaire survey employing cluster random sampling was conducted among dental colleges in Chennai. The questionnaire comprised eight simulated cases of patients with different medical conditions, the following dental procedures such as scaling, simple extraction, and root canal treatment, and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to assess how confident are the interns in their decision to administer antibiotics. Chi-square test was used difference in decision across gender, and independent samples t-test was used to test the overall confidence in decision in the administration of antibiotics. P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: Response rate in the present study was 76.6%, n = 353 study participants participated in the present study. The overall mean in confidence assessments for the study participants was 75.6 mm on the VAS and the range was 64–86 mm. Study participants differ in their opinion in the administration of antibiotic prophylaxis for dental treatment in the management of patients with systemic diseases (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Although the study participants are generally aware of antibiotic prophylaxis, they were not clear in their decision in administration of antibiotics and their level of confidence is also low.

Background: Current millennial-generation dental students have learning preferences which differ from students of the past. Today's dental students strongly embrace cutting edge technologies, and respond well to a pre-clinical educational curriculum which embraces Evidence-Based Dentistry. Aim: Using the elements of Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles of Good Practice in Higher Education, this study examined the effectiveness of a contemporary teaching model which differs from the traditional passive “teaching and instruction” approach. Materials and Methods: The Institutional Review Board approved this study. Students from the combined classes of 2012 and 2013 (180 of 191) completed a 25 question survey to evaluate the effectiveness of a teaching model in Pre-clinical Endodontics. Survey questions assessed relevance of class materials, professionalism, and motivation, as well as all facets of the Teaching Model. Scoring employed a three point Likert scale: Excellent (3); Good (2); and, Poor (1). Descriptive statistics were used to determine students' perceived understanding of the course. The comparison between students' mean responses in the sophomore class of spring 2012 and the class of spring 2013 was conducted using a two sample independent t-test to test for differences in mean scores among the two groups. The survey instrument used in this class assessed encouragement of contact between students and faculty (Principle 1); development of reciprocity and cooperation among students (Principle 2); encouragement of active learning (Principle 3); prompt feedback (Principle 4); emphasis of time on task (Principle 5); communicating high expectations (Principle 6); and respecting diverse talents and ways of learning (Principle 7). Results: This paper highlights a newly designed Teaching Effectiveness Model to teach pre-clinical Endodontics to sophomore dental students. Statistical analysis of Likert scale data demonstrated a relationship between the Seven Principles and the Teaching Effectiveness Model. Conclusion: The effectiveness of this teaching model was confirmed by the high pass rate scores (98, 100%) in 2012 AND 2013 classes on the endodontic section of both the written National Board of Dental Examiners and the endodontic section of the clinical state and regional board licensing exams.

Objective: This study presents findings of the first study developed in Brazil, using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) instrument, to evaluate students' perceptions regarding the learning environment through an undergraduate dentistry course. Particularly, the aim was to evaluate geriatrics learning and training process outside the university boundaries during an outreach program. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive study by means of the DREEM questionnaire applied in 114 undergraduate students from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Data analysis was performed by means of ANOVA statistical test with SPSS software. Results: Average DREEM score, of all domains of the questionnaire, is higher for females with a good perception and younger males have a more positive self-perception of their academic life. Conclusions: The course of geriatrics at the studied university faces some potential facts, but at the same time, presents absence of a psychological support to the student and this reflects their perceptions of self-learning.

Context: Education can be effective when combined with entertainment making it edutainment and this includes dramas, flashcards, board games, etc. Flashcards are handy, valuable, useful, and easy to carry at various locations. Aim: The aim of this study is to use educative flashcards designed for clinical undergraduate students to learn bioethics and its application. Settings and Design: Experimental double-blinded study was conducted to use educative flashcards on Bioethics and its application, designed for clinical undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: Participants were divided into three groups, Group 1 was traditional teaching method where class was taken for 1 h, for Group 2 only flashcards were given, and for Group 3 both classes was taken and flashcards were given. After a week, semiconstructed pretested questionnaire was given to all the participants. Statistical Analysis: Data were collected, coded and fed in SPSS (IBM version 23) for further analysis. Results: Nearly 43.3%, 13.3%, and 30% of them from Group 1, 2, and 3, respectively, thought that professionalism was same as bioethics (P< 0.05, χ² = 6.599). Nearly 86.7%, 96.7%, and 100% of them from Group 1, 2, and 3 respectively, knew it was important to highlight the cost involved before taking consent for any procedure (P > 0.05 and χ² = 5.506). Only, 53.3%, 53.3%, and 86.7% of them from Group 1, 2, and 3, respectively, knew that there is an ethical committee in this institution. Conclusion: Participants from Group 2 and 3 have fairly more knowledge compared to participants from Group 1 where majority of the answers were not right.