Impact of teaching requirements for students on the activity of a university dental hospital

Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the influence of teaching requirements on the clinical activity of a dental hospital. Method: The annual clinical activity of seven classes of fifth-year students (n = 294) was monitored between 1994 and 2001 within the conservative dentistry and endodontic departments of a French dental hospital. The variables chosen were: (i) the mean number of procedures performed per student, and (ii) the proportion of different types of treatment within the global activity (i.e. endodontic treatment, anterior, and posterior restorations). These data were analysed in relation to changes in student assessment criteria over time. Results: Quantitative clinical teaching requirements were removed for the academic year 1998-99 and student clinical activity subsequently decreased by 32.7%, going from 51.9 +/- 12.2 dental procedures on average per student in 1997-98, to 29.1 +/- 7.2 in 2000-01. The mean number of patients treated per student also declined significantly during this period. The size of the minimum clinical requirement altered over the years prior to being removed altogether and a positive correlation existed between the volume of activity and the minimum requirement over this time. The types of treatment provided changed independently from the assessment criteria over the study period. There was a decrease in the percentage of amalgams placed and an increase in the number of posterior composites. A negative correlation existed between the evolution of these two types of treatment. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the clinical activity of a department in a dental teaching hospital is directly related to the assessment criteria fixed by the university. This may have repercussions for hospital services.