Abstract
Abstract Dental procedures are performed in the small oral cavity, therefore the mirror technique (MT) is considered to be an indispensable basic skill for dentists, especially in cases where it is impossible to check directly. However, because of the difficulty of acquiring MT skills, the authors have examined the positions of the dental mirror (DM) and finger rest (FR), with the aim of developing an effective teaching method for inexperienced dentists, and published the results in the first and second reports. Whereas the previous reports focused on trainee dentists (TDs), in the present investigation the same experiment as the first one was conducted with instructor dentists (IDs) who supervised TDs, and the level of proficiency in cutting accuracy was examined by comparing the IDs with the TDs.
Using the same conditions as the first report, the excessive cutting range, largest cutting depth, mean cutting depth, number of cavity checking times and cutting time were used as evaluation factors concerning four cutting areas (incisal, cervical, mesial and distal) and mirror position, between IDs and TDs.
As a result, regarding each of excessive cutting range, largest cutting depth and mean cutting depth, IDs showed superior cutting skills compared with TDs ; it is considered that IDs cut more carefully than TDs, checking the cavity frequently.
It is suggested that proficiency of MT skills improves through clinical experience, and the position of the DM affects the cutting accuracy. Furthermore, improved MT skills would cover minor errors in FR position to some extent under these experimental conditions.
