Comparison of Methodologies for the Assessment of Clinical Ability in the Removal of Teeth Among Undergraduate Dental Students in India

Abstract

Introduction: Exodontia, or tooth extraction, is a fundamental skill for dentists, particularly in regions where specialized dental care may be less accessible. Assessments often rely on the examiner’s experience, employing arbitrary criteria such as the application of local anesthetic, hygiene, aseptic precautions, and proper instrument use. Such methods risk subjective bias, prioritizing different aspects based on the examiner’s perspective and potentially leading to inconsistent evaluations. The objective of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of the conventional methodology of assessment with a format-based assessment (FM) tool in evaluating exodontia skills. Methods: Twenty students (n = 20) were randomly selected for the study. The conventional method (CM) assessments were given out of a total of 100 marks. To evaluate inter-item consistency, videos of the same procedure were randomly repeated for different examiners. The format-based assessment (FM) used two structured formats (a visual analog scale and an Assessment of Clinical Exodontia Skills (ACES) rating scale), with the formats slightly adjusted to suit the study’s requirements. Results: The rating scale and VAS methods demonstrated higher reliability in evaluating the students’ exodontia skills compared to the conventional method, yielding significantly higher scores (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Future research should explore the development and integration of hybrid assessment models that combine the objectivity of format-based tools with the holistic perspective of conventional methods. © The Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India 2025.