Summative Case Presentation Guidelines
Logistics and Assessment Overview
The summative case presentation is a formal clinical examination evaluated by a panel of two examiners.
- Schedule and Roster: The presentation schedule and room allocations will be published on the LMS by mid-September. Presentations will take place from October 12th to October 16th. Examiner and tutor pairings will not be disclosed prior to the session.
- Time Allocation: Each session lasts 45 minutes in total:
- Student Presentation: 20 minutes (increased from 15 minutes).
- Examiner Q&A: 20 to 25 minutes.
- Professional Expectations: Students must dress professionally, maintain strict organization, and adhere precisely to the standardized presentation structure provided in the course handout.
Presentation Structure and Slide Requirements
Presentations must strictly follow the official handout structure. Do not deviate from the specified heading sequence, as examiners will evaluate the presentation directly against this format.
Presentation Length
Presentations must limit content to between 24 and 30 slides maximum. Exceeding 30 slides prevents completion within the 20-minute window and will result in grade penalties. Combine related topics onto single slides where appropriate.
Patient Anonymity
To comply with privacy regulations, patient identity must be completely protected:
- Record only the patient’s age and sex.
- Exclude names, hospital registration numbers, and temporary identifiers.
- Obscure the eye region in all extraoral facial photographs.
Slide-by-Slide Content Sequence
- Title / Cover Page: Student name and de-identified patient demographic details (age and sex only).
- Presenting Complaint (PC) & History of Presenting Complaint (HPC): Clear statement of the patient’s primary concern and its onset, duration, and characteristics.
- Medical History (MH): Tabular format mandatory. Columns must include:
- Systemic condition
- Current medications
- Dosage and administration frequency (omitting dosage/frequency renders the history incomplete)
- Mechanism of Action (MoA)
- Relevant dental implications and precautions
- Dental, Oral, and Social History: Combined onto a single slide to conserve space.
- Extraoral Photographs: Standardized views including full face (eyes blocked out), right profile, and left profile.
- Intraoral Photographs: Comprehensive series covering frontal, lateral, occlusal, and soft tissue views.
- Dental Prostheses: Dedicated slide outlining existing or planned prostheses (mark as “N/A” if not applicable).
- Tooth Charting: Current dental status and existing restorations.
- Periodontal Charting: Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE) screening or full periodontal charting for complex cases.
- Radiographs: All relevant diagnostic images, clearly annotated. Every radiograph must be dated.
- Caries Risk Assessment: Evidence-based risk categorisation using established criteria.
- Periodontal Risk Assessment: Risk categorization based on periodontal findings.
- Prognosis: Overall and individual tooth prognoses.
- Problem List & Diagnoses: Bulleted summary of active clinical problems and definitive diagnoses.
- Treatment Options & Management Plans: Ideal and alternative treatment pathways.
- Reflection: Personal clinical reflection on case management, challenges, and key learning outcomes.
- References: Formal reference list supporting clinical choices and pharmacological details.
Clinical Preparation and Case Selection
- Case Complexity: Select a patient with multidisciplinary needs, such as mild to moderate periodontal disease combined with restorative requirements. Formative presentation cases may be converted into summative cases if they possess sufficient complexity.
- Clinical Workflow: Treat every clinic patient as a potential case presentation subject from the beginning of the semester to ensure all required photographic, radiographic, and chart documentation is captured early.
- Diagnostic Models: Well-trimmed, clean study models should be presented alongside the digital slides when available.
- Faculty Support: Staff are available in the clinic on Wednesday and Friday afternoons to review prospective cases and answer preparation questions.
Lecturer — LMS Sample Case Caveats
The sample case presentation available on the LMS omits sections for occlusion, dental prostheses, and reflection. Do not copy the sample’s structure; follow the distributed handout. The instructional video by Lyndon Abbott offers valuable clinical preparation tips, but features an older curriculum structure and more complex fourth-year cases.
Examiner Questions and Viva Preparation
The 20-to-25-minute Q&A portion tests clinical reasoning and underlying theoretical knowledge.
| Topic Area | Evaluation Focus |
|---|---|
| Case-Specific Details | Justification of diagnoses, treatment choices, radiograph interpretations, and risk assessments. |
| General Medical & Pharmacology | Management of medical emergencies and clinical impact of patient medications (even for concise medical histories). |
| Treatment Planning Scope | Comprehensive treatment options including orthodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, or pre-prosthetic surgery (e.g., excision of mandibular tori prior to partial denture fabrication). |
Examiners do not expect deep technical expertise on advanced procedures that were not performed (such as surgical implant placement details), but candidates must demonstrate a solid rationale for why specific options were presented, selected, or ruled out.