Enhancing Clinical Competency in Oral Implantology: The Role of Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) in Postgraduate Training

Abstract

Background: Oral implantology requires sophisticated clinical knowledge, accuracy, and careful judgment. Many times, conventional training methods lack the systematic feedback needed to master difficult surgeries. Improving clinical proficiency in medical and dental education has found great success with Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS). The effectiveness of DOPS in improving the oral implantology clinical proficiency of postgraduate students is evaluated in this study. Methods: Forty postgraduate students in oral implantology were used in a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design from July 2023 to June 2024 at BSMMU. Participants in several DOPS sessions had clinical proficiency assessed using a standardized rubric both before and after the intervention. A Likert-scale survey was used to gauge the opinions of the students; the reliability and validity of the DOPS instrument were then evaluated. Results: Following DOPS training, clinical competency scores showed a clear increase (pre-test: 62.3 ± 8.4; post-test: 85.7 ± 6.2; p < 0.001). In both post-test and follow-up analyses (p < 0.05), the DOPS group outperformed the control group. With 92% of students saying DOPS improved their clinical skills, students showed rather high satisfaction levels. With Cronbach's Alpha of 0.89 and inter-rater concordance (Cohen's Kappa of 0.82, the DOPS tool showed great dependability). Conclusion: DOPS is a useful tool for improving clinical competency in oral implantology training. Including this in postgraduate courses will help to increase patient outcomes, confidence, and skill acquisition. Reducing challenges including temporal restrictions and student anxiety will improve its implementation.