Hierarchical Design And Evaluation Of Stable Occlusal Splint Curriculum

To investigate the learning proficiency, perceived difficulties, and teaching needs of dental professionals at different levels in practical courses on the fabrication of stable occlusal splints, aiming to continuously improve teaching quality. A total of 64 undergraduate dental students and 41 clinical dentists were enrolled as participants. Post-course questionnaires were administered to analyze Self-rated mastery in theory and practical training, Self-evaluated challenges and course difficulty ratings, Self-rated splint comfort, Prioritization of critical procedures, Preferred instructional modalities. The dentist group outperformed the student group in Self-rated mastery in theory and practical training (P = 0.001).Although both groups ranked the challenges similarly, the student group reported significantly higher difficulty in foundational steps such as " resin laying, framework fabrication, and occlusal surface shaping " compared to the dentist group (P = 0.002).The dentist group rated the comfort level of the splints as "comfortable" significantly more often than the student group (P < 0.001).Regarding critical procedures of key application, the dentist group emphasized foundational occlusal knowledge, while the student group prioritized meticulous adjustment (P = 0.001). Future practical courses on stable occlusal splint fabrication should adopt hierarchical training framework to meet the needs of learners at different levels, thereby enhancing teaching quality.