2016 Volume 32 Issue 3 Pages 166-172
Abstract Dentists are required to adjust the force they apply at an appropriate level for each procedure. Therefore, it is essential for dental students and trainee dentists to manage the dental force and to learn dental treatment techniques. Our previous report revealed clear differences in dental forces applied by instructors and students. This study investigated the process of learning the dental force in postgraduate clinical training. The dental forces applied by 22 trainee dentists were measured at the early stage (June) and the late stage (February) using a custom-made dental mannequin equipped with a digital force gauge (IMADA) under the mandible. Periodontal pocket examination (PPE), gingival retraction (GR), removing subgingival calculus (SRP), tooth extraction (EXT), impression for full denture (FD) and full metal crown mounting (FMC) were selected for the dental force measurements as frequent dental procedures. The median peak forces for PPE, GR, SRP and EXT and the maximum values of FD and FMC were recorded at each stage and analyzed with statistical methods such as the Wilcoxon signed-rank test or Mann-Whitney U test. As a result, significant differences were found in the data for EXT and FD. However, there were no significant differences concerning PPE, GR, SRP and FMC. It was suggested that the trainee dentists could improve their dental force management through clinical experience in postgraduate clinical training.
