Assessment of Dental Students' Psychomotor Skills Using Oral Surgery Simulation Models

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the validity of using oral surgery simulation models as a tool to assess the psychomotor skills of dental students. Materials and Methods: All students in the 4th year of a 6 years dental program were enrolled in the study. 23 dental students were asked to display their competency in the injection of local anesthesia and dental extraction in two summative testing environments namely; in the simulation and in the outpatient clinic. A panel of four experts assessed the students' performance during the injection of local anesthesia and tooth extraction on patients and simulation using a pre-validated checklist. Students' scores were compared in both settings. Results: The results showed no significant correlation between the scores on patients and simulation in the two settings (P = 0.759). Conclusion: The study revealed that the real patient remains the gold standard in summative assessment of dental students' psychomotor skills.