No criteria has been established for the objective evaluation of cavity preparations. It is difficult to establish such criteria because of discrepancies in instructors' evaluations and the absence of established principles. We analyzed the evaluations of 30 mesioocclusal metal inlay cavity preparations in order to clarify discrepancies in the evaluations. Thirty-six details and one comprehensive evaluation were assessed by six instructors. We analyzed discrepancies between the detail evaluations and the comprehensive evaluations, discrepancies between the actual measurements and the instructors' evaluations, and differences among the instructors' evaluations.
Generally, a high correlation was found between the detail evaluations and the comprehensive evaluations, and between actual measurements and the instructors' evaluations. However, when individual preparations were compared, certain of the cavities that had good detail evaluations had lower comprehensive evaluations, while certain cavities that had bad detail evaluations had higher comprehensive evaluations. Moreover, certain of the cavities that had the same depth measurements were assessed differently. It is necessary to establish objective criteria to determine whether a cavity satisfies practical functions. Among the instructors, large discrepancies were found in items related to the form of the proximal box. In order to provide effective training courses in cavity preparation, it is essential to attempt to make objective evaluations that recognize the characteristics of each instructor's evaluation and the characteristics of each item evaluated. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2005; 39: 121-128)
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