Implementing a Secondary Database as a Teaching Tool to Improve Genomic Literacy Among Dental Students

IF 1.4 Q4 MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL

Clinical Teacher Pub Date : 2025-03-16 DOI:10.1111/tct.70068

Ava K. Chow, Nazlee Sharmin

{"title":"Implementing a Secondary Database as a Teaching Tool to Improve Genomic Literacy Among Dental Students","authors":"Ava K. Chow, Nazlee Sharmin","doi":"10.1111/tct.70068","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Recent advancements in precision medicine and precision dentistry have necessitated genomic literacy in healthcare professionals. Both the knowledge of genetics and data in primary biological databases are rapidly expanding beyond what is presented in textbooks. Dental students are often unfamiliar with the growing field of biological data and the tools used to analyse and interpret genetic information.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Approach</h3>\n \n <p>To improve genomic literacy among dental students, we incorporated ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’, a dental-specific secondary database, as a teaching tool in the first year of the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. This study aims to explore students' perspectives on using a secondary database as a tool for teaching and learning.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Evaluation</h3>\n \n <p>A convergent, parallel mixed-method study was conducted to explore student perception of the database as a teaching tool. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students' reflection assignments and surveys. Descriptive statistics and manifest content analysis were applied to analyse the survey data and reflection assignments, respectively. All (100%) students (<i>n</i> = 32) completed the assignment with reflective answers; 38% (<i>n</i> = 12) of the class completed the voluntary survey. Survey participants indicated that ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ was easy to navigate and helpful for learning the genetics of tooth development. Codes from qualitative data were grouped into three categories, representing the benefit of the secondary database attributed by the students.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Implications</h3>\n \n <p>Dental students positively valued the use of ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ to learn the genetics of tooth development. This secondary database can improve genomic literacy to meet the challenge of the postgenomic era.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":47324,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Teacher","volume":"22 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tct.70068","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Teacher","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tct.70068","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Recent advancements in precision medicine and precision dentistry have necessitated genomic literacy in healthcare professionals. Both the knowledge of genetics and data in primary biological databases are rapidly expanding beyond what is presented in textbooks. Dental students are often unfamiliar with the growing field of biological data and the tools used to analyse and interpret genetic information.

Approach

To improve genomic literacy among dental students, we incorporated ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’, a dental-specific secondary database, as a teaching tool in the first year of the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. This study aims to explore students' perspectives on using a secondary database as a tool for teaching and learning.

Evaluation

A convergent, parallel mixed-method study was conducted to explore student perception of the database as a teaching tool. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students' reflection assignments and surveys. Descriptive statistics and manifest content analysis were applied to analyse the survey data and reflection assignments, respectively. All (100%) students (n = 32) completed the assignment with reflective answers; 38% (n = 12) of the class completed the voluntary survey. Survey participants indicated that ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ was easy to navigate and helpful for learning the genetics of tooth development. Codes from qualitative data were grouped into three categories, representing the benefit of the secondary database attributed by the students.

Implications

Dental students positively valued the use of ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ to learn the genetics of tooth development. This secondary database can improve genomic literacy to meet the challenge of the postgenomic era.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

以辅助资料库作为教学工具，提高牙科学生的基因组素养

背景：最近在精密医学和精密牙科方面的进步使得医疗保健专业人员必须具备基因组素养。遗传学知识和初级生物数据库中的数据都在迅速扩展，超出了教科书中所呈现的内容。牙科专业的学生通常不熟悉日益增长的生物数据领域和用于分析和解释遗传信息的工具。方法：为了提高牙科学生的基因组素养，我们将“牙科生物信息学”，一个牙科特定的二级数据库，作为牙科外科医生（DDS）项目第一年的教学工具。本研究旨在探讨学生使用辅助资料库作为教学工具的观点。我们进行了一项融合、并行的混合方法研究，以探索学生对数据库作为教学工具的看法。从学生的反思作业和调查中收集定性和定量数据。描述性统计和清单内容分析分别用于分析调查数据和反思分配。所有（100%）学生（n = 32）完成了作业，并给出了反思性答案；38% （n = 12）的班级完成了自愿调查。调查参与者表示，“牙科生物资讯学”易于浏览，并有助于了解牙齿发育的遗传学。定性数据中的代码被分为三类，代表了学生对二级数据库的贡献。含义牙科学生积极评价使用“牙科生物信息学”来学习牙齿发育的遗传学。这个二级数据库可以提高基因组素养，以满足后基因组时代的挑战。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Clinical Teacher MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

5.60%

发文量

113

期刊介绍： The Clinical Teacher has been designed with the active, practising clinician in mind. It aims to provide a digest of current research, practice and thinking in medical education presented in a readable, stimulating and practical style. The journal includes sections for reviews of the literature relating to clinical teaching bringing authoritative views on the latest thinking about modern teaching. There are also sections on specific teaching approaches, a digest of the latest research published in Medical Education and other teaching journals, reports of initiatives and advances in thinking and practical teaching from around the world, and expert community and discussion on challenging and controversial issues in today"s clinical education.