Page 51 - Demo

Teaching in Endodontics assessed via self-efficacy493neural structure of the brain as performing the same actions oneself (29). Amplification of knowledge and skills presumably motivates a person to perform (2). Students who attended the revised clinical training module reported a lower need for extra education in endodontics to maintain their competence than students who attended the former module and trained their clinical skills exclusively by performing endodontic treatment on patients. Consequently, the simulated component of the clinical training module seemed of added value to students. A possible explanation for this finding can be the ‘safer’ clinical environment the simulated component of the clinical training module provides. The students have there the possibility to perform root canal treatments in a variety of teeth with differing anatomy and difficulty in a clinical environment without the risk of iatrogenic damage on a patient. The number of available patients with suitable cases is decreasing, and, more importantly, risks to patients should be minimised. To overcome the influence of limited resources, the quality feedback by endodontists with their comprehensive knowledge of endodontics might increase students’ feelings of competence (26). Self-efficacy increases not with the total number of experiences but with the number of successful ones (2). In the ESE guidelines, no recommendations are made on the number of root canal treatments an undergraduate dental student should perform before graduation (26). Based on the findings in the present study, it might be recommended that before graduation students should perform at least three root canal treatments on patients, preferably under supervision of an endodontist. Self-efficacy, determined with the use of the Endodontic General Self-Efficacy Scale described here, seems to be a useful outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of any given method of teaching endodontics. Accordingly, the goal of endodontic education should be improving not only the students’ skills but also their self-efficacy. Future research should use the Endodontic General Self-Efficacy Scale on larger populations, to study which method of teaching endodontics provides students with the appropriate skills as well as the highest self-efficacy.ConclusionWithin the limitations of the present study, it might be concluded that the method of teaching endodontics can influence the self-efficacy and self-perceived competence of undergraduate dental students. Among the modules and their components assessed in the present study, only the number of tutorials and the number of root canal treatments Annemarie Baaij.indd 49 28-06-2023 12:26