Abstract: PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of PDCA teaching mode on clinical ability in the process of periodontal clinical internship. METHODS: Forty-eight undergraduate interns coming from School of Stomatology, China Medical University were divided into 2 groups, one group received traditional teaching mode, the other group received a teaching mode based on PDCA cycle. At the end of internship, every student was assessed by theoretical examinations, case reports and clinical skill practice. χ2-test was used to determine the significant difference in clinical ability between the two groups. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 13.0 software package. RESULTS: In clinical skill examination, 17 students in PDCA teaching mode group got "excellent" grade , 8 students got "good" grade, none student got "passed" grade; in traditional teaching mode group, 7 students got "excellent" grade, 16 students got "good" grade, 1 student got "passed" grade. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). In the theoretical examinations and case reports, 16 students in PDCA teaching mode group got "excellent" grade, 8 students got "good" grade, none student got "passed" grade; in traditional teaching mode group, 12 students got "excellent" grade, 9 students got "good" grade, and 3 students got "passed" grade. The difference between the two groups wasn't statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PDCA teaching will train each student in a personalized mode, which is beneficial to finding defects existed in clinical practice and reinforcing the ability of communication and clinical practice.

Key words: PDCA theory, Periodontal teaching, Clinical ability