Application of formative evaluation system of Mini-CEX and DOPS in clinical internship teaching in periodontology

Objective To explore the effect of a formative assessment of mini clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) and direct observation of procedure skills (DOPS) on clinical internship teaching in periodontology. Methods Fifty-six undergraduates, who were interning in the Department of Periodontics, were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the teaching reform group. The traditional summative evaluation teaching mode was adopted in the control group, while the formative evaluation teaching methods of Mini-CEX and DOPS were used in the teaching reform group. The application effect was evaluated through the examination scores of two groups of students before and after the clinical practice, the Mini-CEX and DOPS scores of students in the teaching reform group before and after clinical practice, and a questionnaire survey. Results There was no significant difference in the scores of pre-clinical practice examination between the two groups (P>0.05). However, after the clinical practice, the scores of case report and clinical skills of the students in the teaching reform group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In addition, after the clinical practice, the scores of each item in the Mini CEX and DOPS of teaching reform group were significantly improved compared with those before clinical practice (P<0.05). The students and teachers were both satisfied with the formative assessment and its effectiveness. Conclusion The formative evaluation system of Mini-CEX and DOPS can effectively improve the quality of clinical internship teaching in periodontology, which has been widely recognized by students and teachers and is worthy of promoting and application.