Comparison of the learning of two notations: A pilot study

Introduction: MICAP is a new notation in which the teeth areindicated by letters (I-incisor, C-canine, P-premolar, M-molar)and numbers [1,2,3] which are written superscript and subscripton the relevant letters. FDI tooth notation is a two digit systemwhere one digit shows quadrant and the second one shows thetooth of the quadrant. This study aimed to compare the short termretention of knowledge of two notation systems (FDI two digitsystem and MICAP notation) by lecture method.Methods: Undergraduate students [N=80] of three schoolsparticipated in a cross-over study. Two theory-driven classroombased lectures on MICAP notation and FDI notation weredelivered separately. Data were collected using eight randomlyselected permanent teeth to be written in MICAP format and FDIformat at pretest (before the lecture), post-test I (immediately afterlecture) and post-test II (one week after the lecture). Analysis wasdone by SPSS version 20.0 using repeated measures ANCOVAand independent t-test.Results: The results of pre-test and post-test I were similar forFDI education. Similar results were found between post-test I andpost-test II for MICAP and FDI notations.Conclusion: The study findings indicated that the two notations(FDI and MICAP) were equally mind cognitive. However,the sample size used in this study may not reflect the globalscenario. Therefore, we suggest more studies to be performed forprospective adaptation of MICAP in dental curriculum.Keywords: Lecture; Pre-test; Post-test; Tooth