The Effect of Education on the Ability of Dental Students to Detect External Root Resorption of Maxillary Primary Molars

Radiographic diagnosis of root absorption affects the treatment plan, and consequently, the preservation of the tooth. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the ability of undergraduate dentistry students to detect root resorption of maxillary primary molars in periapical radiography. Thirty-five parallel periapical radiographs that included maxillary primary molars were selected and converted to PowerPoint slides. A pedodontist and a radiologist determined external root resorption as the gold standard of the study. Twenty-six final-year dental students were enrolled to determine the existence or the absence of resorption in the radiographs. A training class was held to increase the students' ability to diagnose. After two weeks, the students were again asked to identify resorption in radiographic images. Statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS 21 and the results were compared together. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the normal distribution of variables and a paired t-test was employed to compare the scores of the students before and after the training. The highest scores of the students in diagnosing root resorption in primary maxillary molars belonged to mesiobuccal, distobuccal, and palatal roots in descending order. The mean of the students’ scores before the training session was 97.8462±15.9466, which increased to 101.2308±20.6267 after the instruction session; however, this increase was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The lowest detection ability in both maxillary molars was reported for palatal root. According to the students’ scores before and after the training session, it can be concluded that short-term, theoretical, and traditional education has no significant effect on students’ diagnostic ability.