LAUSR

AIM To evaluate and compare the feedback of final year undergraduate dental students in eight Malaysian dental schools on the application of a new system for classifying root canal morphology in teaching and clinical practice. METHODS One PowerPoint presentation describing two classification systems for root canal morphology (Vertucci et al. 1974 and its supplemental configurations, Ahmed et al. 2017) was delivered to final year undergraduate dental students in eight dental schools in Malaysia by two presenters (each presented to four schools). To examine students' feedback on the utility of each system, printed questionnaires consisting of six questions (five multiple choice questions and one open ended question) were distributed and collected after the lecture. The questionnaire was designed to compare the classification systems in terms of accuracy, practicability, understanding of root canal morphology and recommendation for use in preclinical and clinical courses. The exact test was used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at 0.05 (P=0.05). RESULTS A total of 382 (out of 447) students participated giving a response rate of 86%. More than 90% of students reported that the new system was more accurate and more practical compared to the Vertucci system (P<0.001). Overall, 97% of students reported the new system helped their understanding of root and canal morphology compared to the Vertucci classification (P<0.001). Over 97% of students recommended the use of the new system in teaching, preclinical courses and clinical practice (P<0.001). Except for two schools, no significant difference was detected between the responses of students for all questions at the different schools (P>0.05). The students' responses for all questions were almost similar for both presenters (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The new system of Ahmed et al. (2017) for classifying root and canal morphology was favoured by final year undergraduate dental students in Malaysia. The new system has the potential to be included in the undergraduate endodontic curriculum for teaching courses related to root and canal morphology.