Self-assessment of preclinical denture setup using a validated, structured, self-designed questionnaire by undergraduate students: A repeated cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Our aim was to determine if students who perform well on an initial preclinical examination are more accurate on self-assessments with successive examination. Materials and Methods: This was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Ninety-one 2nd year dental students completed two consecutive preclinical examinations on ideal teeth arrangement and two self-assessments. Self-assessment was done using a validated, structured, self-designed questionnaire named “prosthetic denture setup–self assessment questionnaire.” The examinations involved artificial teeth arrangement in Class I jaw relation on maxillary and mandibular ideal edentulous casts mounted on a mean value articulator simulating the clinical procedure of a complete denture patient. Students' and their instructor's assessments were evaluated separately, and statistical results were obtained using t-test and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient test. Regression analysis was done to predict the student self-assessment and validated self-assessment scores on examination outcomes for both indexed and nonindexed values. Results: The results indicated a significant increase in the examination and student self-assessment mean scores. Regression analysis indicated changes in student self-assessment scores, explained 11.9% of the variation in examination scores. Conclusion: Improvement in student self-assessment also showed improvement in successive examination assessments among dental students completing a preclinical denture setup procedure. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Practice-based learning and improvement, Systems-based practice.