Adapting to emergent paradigm shifts: A calibration study among graduating dental students using the new classification of periodontal diseases

Abstract

Introduction

The World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases and Conditions introduced the 2018 Classification. Formulating periodontal diagnosis differs from clinician to clinician and depends on the expertise and competence of the clinician. We aimed to assess calibration levels of periodontal diagnosis based on the 2018 classification among senior-year dental interns at Batterjee Medical College in Saudi Arabia preparing for practice and subsequent graduation.

Materials and Methods

In this preapproved study, 52 senior-year dental students received a two-hour presentation on the 2018 classification by a single teacher, followed by a preliminary exam. One week later, the students were subjected to 12 study cases demonstrating a variety of periodontal and peri-implant disorders with gold standard management, followed by a post-test. Case scenarios with photographs, knowledge cognition, knowledge recall, and case scenarios were the four areas of both exams. Kappa statistics were computed to determine agreement. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

The total examination score was 12.69 ± 2.74 and 15.12 ± 2.99 (p = 0.001) for the pre- and post-tests, respectively. Furthermore, the difficulty factor and discrimination index increased by 12 % (p = 0.007) and 7 % (p = 0.244), respectively. Finally, the kappa statistic showed moderate agreement at 0.427 (p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Inter-rater agreement with the gold standard increased after training, and this improvement was fairly successful in providing graduating dental students with diagnostic abilities simultaneously with the emergence of a new classification system. A calibration procedure based on a simple feedback approach provided beneficial outcomes.