PubMed · 8936763
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N Sharma. 1996-10-19. Evidence based assessment.. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4809233
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In 2000, the University of Bristol Dental School Division of Restorative Dentistry carried out a review of the assessment methods used within the undergraduate programme. Following this review, a number of key recommendations were made and the system of formative assessment within the division was changed. Audits were conducted immediately prior to the introduction of the new system and 2 years after it had been introduced, the results of these audits are presented. There was no change in the number of failed appointments between the initial audit and the second audit. There was a reduction in the number of patients treated by more than one student from 25% to 14% (approximating to 3% if student withdrawal from the course is taken into account). The length of time taken to complete treatment reduced between the two audits with more than half of all patients having their treatment completed within 3 months of their initial examination in the second audit. Ninety-five percent of treatment plans were completed in the second audit compared with only 62% in the first audit. In the second audit, the outstanding 5% of cases were signed off as incomplete for satisfactory reasons by the member of supervisory staff (e.g. patients who had moved away or were discharged due to poor attendance). Student comments were mostly positive, the small number of negative comments related to some students being confused by the paperwork in the new system. The overall process has been an extremely positive experience which has resulted in an assessment system with increased clarity which appears to have reduced the stress levels reported by the undergraduate students on the programme and improved the quality of patient care within restorative dentistry.
OBJECTIVE: Recently the issue of patient adherence with prolonged periodontal therapy and the importance of smoking and its influence as a significant co-factor in the outcome of treatment for patients with periodontal disease has been of interest to health care professionals. This paper is an audit of adherence in regard to both smoking cessation for those who admitted to a smoking habit at the initial examination and patient compliance with a periodontal treatment protocol. DESIGN: During the initial examination, patients referred to the practice with periodontal problems were photographed both with and without lip retractors as part of their clinical record, and a charting of the teeth made with any 5 mm or greater probing depths recorded. Tooth mobility and furcation involvement of molar teeth were also charted. Two separate time periods (Series 1 and Series 2) were audited in this study. Patients enrolled in Series 2 were routinely asked about their smoking habits at the initial examination. Two time periods were audited, as the initial purpose of the investigation was to audit the success of the practice in treating this group of patients, and to identify any improvements that could be made in care provision as each audit cycle was completed. SETTING: Primary care setting. RESULTS: Patient adherence rates were high through all the various stages of periodontal therapy, even though the treatment protocol took over 18 months to complete. Approximately 55% of patients in both time periods presented for the one-year post treatment re-evaluation appointments. 56.5% of the patients reported they had smoked to within five years of their initial consultation, of which 38% reported that they had stopped by the time they had completed the initial hygiene phase of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: With a comprehensive and clearly defined supportive periodontal care programme (SPC), this paper demonstrates that high adherence levels can be achieved in a primary care setting. The results suggest that treatment should include not only the teaching of an effective oral hygiene regime, but also include giving advice in relation to smoking cessation for those patients who admit to a smoking habit at the initial examination. Patients who smoked and chose to have treatment for their periodontal condition went on to report good adherence with smoking cessation advice. Continuing supportive smoking cessation (SSC) advice should be part of any effective SPC programme. New methods of treating periodontal disease that become available to practitioners in the future should use established benchmarks against which to evaluate the success of any new treatment strategy.