Does a case completion curriculum influence dental students' clinical productivity?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a new clinical curriculum on dental student productivity as measured by number of procedures performed in the student teaching practice. Harvard School of Dental Medicine adopted a new clinical education model for the predoctoral program in summer 2009 based upon a Case Completion Curriculum (CCC) rather than a discipline-based numeric threshold system. The two study groups (threshold group and case completion group) consisted of students who graduated in 2009 and 2010. Clinical performance was assessed by clinical productivity across five major discipline areas: periodontics, operative dentistry, removable prosthodontics, fixed prosthodontics, and endodontics. The relationships between the two study groups with regard to number of procedures performed by category revealed that the case completion group performed a significantly higher number of operative and removable prosthodontic procedures, but fewer periodontal and endodontic procedures (p≤0.03). No statistically significant difference in number of procedures was observed with fixed prosthodontic procedures between the two groups. Clinical productivity as a result of redesigning the clinical component of the curriculum varied in selected disciplines. The CCC, in which the comprehensive management of the patient was the priority, contributed to achieving a patient-based comprehensive care practice.