Pre-clinical dental training: association between fine motor skills and the adhesion to ergonomic posture requirements

• Grant number: 19/05765-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2019
• End date: May 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Social and Preventive Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso Garcia
• Grantee: Júlia Carrer Hallak
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOAr). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present study aims to observe the evolution of the adhesion to the ergonomic posture requirements and the fine motor skills of dentistry academics throughout the pre-clinical training. It is also proposing to perform a correlation study between adherence to the requirements of ergonomic posture and fine motor skill. The sample will be compound by all the students of the second year grade of dentistry of the Faculty of Dentistry of Araraquara (São Paulo State University), who agree in participate in the study. The Compliance Assessment of Dental Ergonomic Posture Requirements (CADEP) will be used to evaluate the adoption of the ergonomic working posture requirements. To this, students will be photographed performing pre-clinical laboratory procedures throughout the academic year. The photographs obtained from each procedure will be evaluated and a score from zero to 100 will be issued, which will correspond to the level of adherence to the requirements of ergonomic posture. In order to assessment the evolution of the adherence to the ergonomic posture requirements over time, the average score obtained by CADEP in the first two months will correspond to the initial adhesion (Ai) and the final two months to the final adhesion (Af). To evaluate fine motor skills, the Dental Manual Dexterity Assessment (DMDA) will be used, which consist in a test where the student must insert a #3195FF drill coupled to a "straight hand simulator" in a series of 82 small targets printed on a Test Plate. The penetration accuracy of each target will be evaluated and scored, and in the end, the student will receive a score that can vary from zero to 240 points. To assess the evolution of the manual dexterity over the academic year, the DMDA will be applied at the beginning of the pre-clinical training before the realization of the cavity preparations and restorations (Di) and in the end of the academic year (Df) (before-after assessment). A researcher duly calibrated in a pilot study will evaluate both the posture analysis and the fine motor skills. A descriptive statistical analysis will be performed. After the verification of the assumptions of normality and homoscedasticity, the test T Student of paired samples will be carried out. The correlation between adhesion to the requirements of ergonomic posture and fine motor skill will be estimated by the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) and its significance will be tested by Student's t test. The level of significance adopted will be 5%. (AU)