Periodontal Endoscope as an Educational Tool to Improve Hygiene Students’ Tactile Detection and Instrumentation Skills

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the periodontal endoscope (PE) as a teaching resource to improve dental hygiene (DH) students’ detection and removal skills. Methods: This multi-center clinical study included participating DH students from the University of Michigan (UM), University of Minnesota (UMN), and Central Community College (CCC). A total of 111 DH students, 41 juniors, and 70 seniors. All participating students and 20 faculty were randomized into control or intervention groups, in which there were 54 and 57 students, respectively. Eight study team examiners calibrated and used the PE. The intervention group faculty received endoscopic visualization of calculus to deliver endoscope guided (EG) feedback, while the control group received the clinical standard procedure from their designated faculty. Results: Agreement between the calculus index of students and examiners and of faculty and examiners was estimated using weighted kappa statistics. The intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant difference (0.014) for calculus removal compared to the control group. For the post calculus detection and removal, the intervention group had a higher kappa for all surfaces compared to the control group: mesial surfaces, (intervention 0.158, control 0.002), distal surfaces (intervention 0.108, control 0.034), buccal surfaces (intervention 0.169, control 0.139), and lingual surfaces (intervention 0.134, control 0.070). The intervention group detected and removed more calculus than the control group. Conclusions: This study represented the first known three-DH program clinical trial to implement innovative technology to enhance student performance. Students who received EG feedback demonstrated enhanced tactile detection and calculus removal.