ECE benefits both junior and senior preclinical dental students, with a larger pooled effect in junior students¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr2·q4·i3large
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q4 i3 Significant benefits were observed for junior preclinical students (second year and below, SMD = 1.58) and senior preclinical students (third year and above, SMD = 0.82). → Pang Xuefei 2026
Evidence¶
Pang Xuefei 2026¶
Pang Xuefei, Wang Huilin, Li Jinggui, Gui Haijun, Cao Xia, Cai Ming. (2026). The Impact of Early Clinical Exposure on Competency Development in Dental Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Dental Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.identj.2026.109483
q4 · i3 · quant-synthesis · r2
Student-type subgroup analysis of the meta-analysis, defining junior as second year and below and senior as third year and above. Both subgroups were significant; heterogeneity was very high in the junior subgroup.
"Significant benefits were observed for both junior preclinical students (second year and below, SMD = 1.58, 95% CI = 0.79-2.37, I² = 97.5%, P < .001) and senior preclinical students (third year and above, SMD = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.44-1.21, I² = 87.6%, P < .001)"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- All three ECE modalities show significant positive effects, with real clinical interactions showing the largest pooled effect — related
- ECE improves theoretical knowledge, clinical practice performance and self-efficacy, with the largest effect on self-efficacy — related
- ECE effects are significant in Europe and Asia but did not reach statistical significance in the Americas — related
- Early clinical exposure significantly improves dental students' overall competency compared with traditional teaching (SMD = 1.25), though evidence certainty is low — a broader claim this one bears on
- The positive effect of ECE holds in both randomised and nonrandomised study designs — related
- Early clinical exposure is associated with higher empathy scores regardless of gender and academic year — related
- Problem-solving benefits of modern methods hold across durations, designs, sample sizes, and sophomore/senior grades, but not third-year students — related
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