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Introducing and Evaluating MorphDent, a Web-Based Learning Program in Dental Morphology
Abstract
MorphoDent, a computer-assisted learning program designed to teach the anatomy of the adult dentition, was introduced into the curriculum of dentistry at the University of Saarland in Homburg, Germany. Thirty-six second-year students of the School of Dentistry were introduced to morphoDent alongside the traditional lectures of dental anatomy. Questionnaires that evaluated the students' perceptions of virtual learning as well as aspects of the functionality of the program educational objectives were developed and distributed to the students. Online tests were performed and compared with a traditional examination. All questionnaires were returned. A wide variety of aspects dealing the pedagogic implications of e-learning were evaluated by the students, with the overall result being that students are aware of the needed hardware and technical skills and expect the quality of their studies to improve by implementation of e-learning. All sophomores except one felt that morphoDent had helped them in learning dental morphology and reported enjoying the virtual anatomical examination. One-third reported technical difficulties in operating the program. The average exam score was 2.53 (SD: 0.66) for the traditional and 2.23 (SD: 0.59) for the online dental anatomy test. Students expressed their positive attitude towards e-learning in general and indicated that the use of photorealistic 3D models of human teeth supported the process of individual learning of dental anatomy. The online test could be rated as a good option for students' self-performance rating.
... Contemporary dental students are generally adept at using technology for learning, which indicates that adding digital learning tools to the dental curriculum could be both convenient and agreeable [7,8]. Online quizzes and tests are known to engage students and enhance learning [4], and increasingly, novel approaches containing different e-learning elements are now being used for teaching tooth morphology [9]. ...
... Traditional methodologies in dental education, particularly in the realm of tooth morphology, have relied heavily on the use of various media for carving tooth models, such as wax, chalk, or soap. This technique, documented in a range of studies [8,9], serves not only as a fundamental pedagogical tool but also to intricately understand complex dental morphology. The haptic and visual engagement in tooth carving exercises fosters the development of fine motor skills and provides a concrete basis for the theoretical knowledge required for the reconstruction of tooth structures in restorative dental procedures [2,19]. ...
... In response to these challenges, dental education curricula are increasingly integrating novel teaching methods that employ contemporary technologies to facilitate the visualization and three-dimensional understanding of dental morphology [11,14,16]. These innovative approaches, including digital simulations and 3D printing, offer alternative means to convey the complex anatomical structures of teeth [8]. ...
Dental anatomy education is traditionally structured into theoretical and practical modules to foster both cognitive and psychomotor development. The theoretical module typically involves didactic lectures where educators elucidate dental structures using visual aids. In contrast, practical modules utilize three-dimensional illustrations, extracted and plastic teeth, and tooth carving exercises on wax or soap blocks, chosen for their cost, ease of handling, and fidelity in replication. However, the efficacy of these traditional methods is increasingly questioned. The criticism in this concern is that oversized carving materials may distort students’ understanding of anatomical proportions, potentially affecting the development of necessary skills for clinical practice. Lecture-driven instruction, on the other hand, is also criticized for its limitations in fostering interactive learning, resulting in a gap between pre-clinical instruction and practical patient care. In this study, we review the various educational strategies that have emerged to enhance traditional dental anatomy pedagogy by describing the effectiveness of conventional didactic lectures, wax carving exercises, the use of real and artificial teeth, the flipped classroom model, and e-learning tools. Our review aims to assess each method’s contribution to improving clinical applicability and educational outcomes in dental anatomy, with a focus on developing pedagogical frameworks that align with contemporary educational needs and the evolving landscape of dental practice. We suggest that the optimal approach for teaching tooth morphology would be to integrate the digital benefits of the flipped classroom model with the practical, hands-on experience of using extracted human teeth. To address the challenges presented by this integration, the creation and standardization of three-dimensional tooth morphology educational tools, complemented with concise instructional videos for a flipped classroom setting, appears to be a highly effective strategy.
... These digital means were used only to give instructions and evaluations digitally to the students. 4,[8][9][10] The advantages and disadvantages of teaching tooth carving using the traditional methods are not previously reported in the literature. However, we noticed through years of teaching the Geometric method that it allows the students to imagine the morphological features of a tooth, magnified, and provided a touchable way to reproduce them by hand. ...
... New methods are being introduced to facilitate learning tooth morphology; DVDs, programs, and software have shown promising results, introducing interactivity and independence in learning experiences. 4,[8][9][10]13,14 Some advantages of these methods include access to information anytime, many times, and anywhere, providing the student with flexible hours for studying independently of the teacher. These digital means of teaching dental anatomy and teeth carving were used as an auxiliary-teaching-methods or as a replacement for the traditional laboratory instructions and demonstrations, showing that they may replace the traditional teaching methods or at least enhance the students understanding, course engagement, and achievements. ...
... These digital means of teaching dental anatomy and teeth carving were used as an auxiliary-teaching-methods or as a replacement for the traditional laboratory instructions and demonstrations, showing that they may replace the traditional teaching methods or at least enhance the students understanding, course engagement, and achievements. 4,[8][9][10] The studies mentioned above were based on giving instructions and evaluations digitally to the students. Literature showed no previous reports of using tutorial videos of dental anatomy carvings to enhance the student's results in dental anatomy laboratories. ...
Background
Learning fine motor skill is central to preclinical dental education. Dental students are introduced to anatomical tooth carving to facilitate the development of their fine motor skill and manual dexterity. Various carving technique exists, such as wax build-up, and geometric (block carving technique). Since substantial laboratory Time and instructors’ effort are required to teach students the desired techniques, blended learning approach via pre-recorded demonstration may improve the teaching and learning efficiency of anatomical tooth carving. For years, we used the Geometric method to teach preclinical dental students to carve down tooth sculptures after performing live demonstrations for them. Multiple practical laboratory demonstrations are necessary to deepen the student’s comprehensive understanding of dental anatomical features and teach them correct instrumentation; this is time-consuming and challenging due to limited laboratory hours and limited view field. Accordingly, in 2016 the teaching staff created videos for tooth drawing, carving, and identification, and uploaded them to the students’ university platform. Years later, we decided to perform this retrospective study.
Objective
To assess the enhancement in students’ tooth carving skills after implementing blended learning with video demonstrations.
Methods
The student’s total grades were used for comparative purposes. The students’ total grades between 2010 and 2019 were collected and categorized into two groups: Group 1 (n=858), which learned tooth carving by the Geometric method after live demonstrations, and Group 2 (972), which benefited from blended learning with video demonstrations in learning. The two groups’ mean, median, mode, Percentile 75, and Percentile 90 were compared.
Results
Group 2 showed higher grades than group 1, and the differences between the two groups’ mean and median were statistically significant p<0.001. Moreover, the mode, P75 and P90 favored group 2.
Conclusion
Results show that blended learning with video demonstrations enhanced the achievements of dental students in tooth carving.
... Historically, extracted teeth are the most popular teaching aid for studying dental morphology and identifying tooth characteristics (Mitov et al. 2010). According to research by Abu Eid et al. (2013), students prefer to study dental morphology using extracted teeth (Abu Eid et al. 2013). ...
... Innovative teaching methods are currently being incorporated into the teaching of tooth morphology (Nagasawa et al. Cantín et al. 2015;Lone et al. 2021) i order to provide visualization and 3D comprehension of the dental morphological anatomy (Mitov et al. 2010;Allen et al. 2015). However, extracted teeth are still preferred for learning tooth morphology and also for examinations (Suh et al. 2022). ...
... Carving tooth models from various media, such as wax, chalk, or soap (Mitov et al. 2010;Lone et al. 2018), has helped facilitate the learning of comprehensive dental morphology (Obrez et al. 2011). This method utilizes visualization and haptic touch to provide the development of fine motor skills along with morphological knowledge, which is a prerequisite for reconstructing lost or damaged tooth structure during various dental treatments (Abu Eid et al. 2013;La et al. 2015;Goodacre et al. 2021). ...
... For example, a search in Scopus including the terms "3D" and "dental education" reveals only one paper in the year 2000 containing those terms; while 14 appeared in the year 2019 and 11 have been published so far in 2020. A review of the literature shows that 20 papers describe new software or novel uses of 3D technology for dental education [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and 10 focus on students' perception of the use of 3D tools [19,30,[35][36][37][38][39][40]. However, only eight were comparative studies [35,38,[40][41][42][43]. ...
... For example, a search in Scopus including the terms "3D" and "dental education" reveals only one paper in the year 2000 containing those terms; while 14 appeared in the year 2019 and 11 have been published so far in 2020. A review of the literature shows that 20 papers describe new software or novel uses of 3D technology for dental education [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and 10 focus on students' perception of the use of 3D tools [19,30,[35][36][37][38][39][40]. However, only eight were comparative studies [35,38,[40][41][42][43]. ...
... It was noticed that the clinical procedures were more frequently mentioned among the responses of participants of the focus groups. From the 97 items named, a few had been already addressed by developers [10,13,14,19,20,29,32,33,35,64,65] e.g., tooth morphology, root canal related software, 3D study models, surgical procedures for dental implants. Tooth anatomy was among the most recurrent themes in the focus group, despite the fact that five studies [19,20,29,35,64] have highlighted the availability of a 3D learning resource for that purpose. ...
The aim of this study is to identify topics (knowledge and skills) from the dental curricula that would benefit from having a 3D learning resource using an exploratory sequential design method. The first phase targeted stakeholders from a Scottish dental school. Seven focus groups and three interviews disclosed 97 suitable topics for 3D technology development. These results were used to construct a survey that was sent to final year dental students, newly dental graduates and academics from three Scottish universities. The survey asked participants to rank each item based on the perceived benefit that a 3D learning resource would have for dental education. Results revealed that detailed anatomy of the temporomandibular joint, dental anaesthesiology, dental clinical skills techniques, dental occlusion and mandibular functioning were top priorities. Gender differences only appeared in relation to ‘Extraction techniques: movements and force’ (p < 0.05), this topic was considered to be more beneficial by females than by males. No statistical difference was found when comparing results of graduates with undergraduates. These results serve as a starting point when developing a new 3D technology tool for dental education, considering users demands and perceived needs has the potential to benefit dental students and dental education directly.
... Although this module is usually taught in the first two years of dental courses, its application and use is in the clinical years leading to what has been referred to as "decontextualized technique learning" (Bogacki et al., 2004;Obrez et al., 2011;de Azevedo et al., 2015;Magne, 2015). Traditional teaching methods for tooth morphology typically include lectures (Bogacki et al., 2004;Lone et al., 2018) supported by practical study sessions using extracted teeth (Mitov et al., 2010;Cantin et al., 2015;Lone et al., 2018), plastic teeth replica (Obrez et al., 2011;Lone et al., 2018), wax or chalk carving of teeth (Wallen et al., 1997;de Azevedo et al., 2015;Lone et al., 2018), and drawing two-dimensional (2D) images of teeth (Abu Eid et al., 2013;Magne, 2015;Lone et al., 2018). While studying with extracted teeth is preferred (Cantin et al., 2015), pressures have increased the need to review this model, including the capacity to procure and retain adequate numbers of teaching specimens without decay or excessive wear, reduction in teaching hours, curricular integration as well as hygiene and ethical considerations. ...
... Moreover, augmented reality was recently introduced to teach dental procedures such as cavity preparation, showing favorable response from dental students (Llena et al., 2018). Recent advances in micro CT has led to development of 3D teeth models (Kato and Ohno, 2009;Mitov et al., 2010;Nagasawa et al., 2010;de Boer et al., 2013). Essentially, anatomy learning requires 3D spatial understanding applicable in everyday practice and can be developed as part of the knowledge and skills acquisition. ...
... Three-dimensional interactive tooth morphology atlases have been shown to interest students and enhance learning (Mitov et al., 2010;Wright and Hendricson, 2010). Studies show that medical students enjoy learning with games for medical education (Kron et al., 2010;de Wit-Zuurendonk and Oei, 2011) with a majority of students preferring to play multiplayer games which aid in developing patient interaction skills (Kron et al., 2010). ...
Tooth morphology has a pivotal role in the dental curriculum and provides one of the important foundations of clinical practice. To supplement tooth morphology teaching a three‐dimensional (3D) quiz application (app) was developed. The 3D resource enables students to study tooth morphology actively by selecting teeth from an interactive quiz, modify their viewpoint and level of zoom. Additionally, students are able to rotate the tooth to obtain a 3D spatial understanding of the different surfaces of the tooth. A cross‐over study was designed to allow comparison of students’ results after studying with the new application or traditionally with extracted/model teeth. Data show that the app provides an efficient learning tool and that students’ scores improve with usage (18% increase over three weeks, P < 0.001). Data also show that student assessment scores were correlated with scores obtained while using the app but were not influenced by the teaching modality initially accessed (r² = 0.175, P < 0.01). Comparison of the 2016 and 2017 class performance shows that the class that had access to the app performed significantly better on their final tooth morphology assessment (68.0% ±15.0 vs. 75.3% ±13.4, P < 0.01). Furthermore, students reported that the 3D application was intuitive, provided useful feedback, presented the key features of the teeth, and assisted in learning tooth morphology. The 3D tooth morphology app thus provides students with a useful adjunct teaching tool for learning dental anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 00: 000–000. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.
... In contrast, the practical component, is designed to develop students' psychomotor skills and uses two-dimensional drawings of teeth, identification of anatomical features in samples of preserved teeth, and carving of teeth. Usually the carving exercises are completed in oversized wax and/or soap blocks [5,6]. These materials are used due to relative low cost, easy handling, and good reproducibility [1]. ...
... Teaching with digital tools has shown promising results by stimulating interactivity and independence in the learning experience [1,17,18]. They are considered to be useful instruments for effectively representing and integrating the spatial and symbolic domains of anatomical information [6,19,20]. Moreover, digital media as an adjunctive tool offers excellent visualization and allows students to have access to the information any time, to review the material several times as needed and allow for flexible hours for studying [2,6,7]. ...
... They are considered to be useful instruments for effectively representing and integrating the spatial and symbolic domains of anatomical information [6,19,20]. Moreover, digital media as an adjunctive tool offers excellent visualization and allows students to have access to the information any time, to review the material several times as needed and allow for flexible hours for studying [2,6,7]. Furthermore, these programs are easy to use and provide self-assessment tools to further aid students [7]. ...
The development of cognitive knowledge, motor skills, and artistic sense in order to restore lost tooth structure is fundamental for dental professionals. The course of dental anatomy is taught in the initial years of dental school, and is a component of the basic core sciences program in the faculties of dentistry. The learning objectives of the dental anatomy course include identifying anatomical and morphological characteristics of human primary and permanent teeth; identifying and reproducing tooth surface details in order to recognize and diagnose anatomical changes; and developing student’s psychomotor skills for restoring teeth with proper form and function. The majority of dental schools rely on traditional methods to teach dental anatomy, using lectures to convey the theoretical component; whereas the practical component uses two-dimensional drawing of teeth, identification of anatomical features in samples of preserved teeth, and carving of teeth. The aim of the present literature review is to summarize different educational strategies proposed or implemented to challenge the traditional approaches of teaching dental anatomy, specifically the flipped classroom educational model. The goal is to promote this approach as a promising strategy to teaching dental anatomy, in order to foster active learning, critical thinking, and engagement among dental students.
... As the development of manual skills and the continuous improvement and acquisition of new motor dexterity skills are the basics for dental practice (3,4) , dental anatomy courses that have a tooth carving element begin to develop students' psychomotor skills for restoring teeth to proper form and function at an early stage in the dental curriculum (1) . This is done through a combination of two-dimensional drawing projects and exercises to carve teeth from oversized wax blocks (1,5) . In some schools students participate in add-on waxing exercises and have small-group discussion/review sessions with study models of the adult dentition. ...
... Dental anatomy presents particular challenges for both students and teachers (1,5) being one of the first courses directly related to teeth and oral function. Didactic part of dental morphology in most schools is usually delivered in the traditional lecture form and students' knowledge is tested with written examinations (6) . ...
... These traditional teaching methods revealed some weak points that caused frustration for both students and faculty (1) . Lectures suffer from the lack of interactive possibilities (5) , and require very little creative thought (7) . Nowadays, computer technologies have been used to enhance and facilitate dental education to augment the traditional didactic information (8) . ...
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the students' perception of the Dental Anatomy practical module course teaching modalities to evaluate their usefulness and the need for future changes or improvement of the course with the goal of developing the course to meet the needs of the students. Methods: Students' opinions were sought upon completion of the Tooth Morphology sessions using a questionnaire that probed into their views about different aspects of the course. Results: The replies to the questionnaire suggest that students were generally satisfied with the course and instructors; they had positive attitudes towards the carving excercise though they had some comments about the quality of material used for tooth carving and the demonstration given in addition to the overall grading Conclusion: It was concluded that new methods for teaching dental anatomy need to be implemented keeping, at the same time, the old techniques which are important for the development of manual skills. Innovative changes have already been introduced to the course that is hoped to help meet the students' learning needs. © 2015 DAR Publishers. The University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved.
... 10 Blended learning has already been employed in dental education and has shown significant applicability. [11][12][13][14] Dental students have reported a positive attitude towards the integration of e-learning in general and the web-based learning of dental morphology in particular. 13 Furthermore, blended learning Germany. ...
... [11][12][13][14] Dental students have reported a positive attitude towards the integration of e-learning in general and the web-based learning of dental morphology in particular. 13 Furthermore, blended learning Germany. All students of the class participated in the course with the integrated digital learning content. ...
... The observed positive effect of blended learning on students' satisfaction agrees with results from previous studies. [11][12][13][14]20 No study in dentistry was ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of blending learning that added online tools to traditional learning methods in a preclinical course in prosthetic dentistry at one dental school in Germany. The e-learning modules were comprised of three main components: fundamental principles, additional information, and learning objective tests. Video recordings of practical demonstrations were prepared and cut into sequences meant to achieve single learning goals. The films were accompanied by background information and, after digital processing, were made available online. Additionally, learning objective tests and learning contents were integrated. Evaluations of 71 of 89 students (response rate: 80%) in the course with the integrated e-learning content were available for the study. Compared with evaluation results of the previous years, a substantial and statistically significant increase in satisfaction with learning content (from 30% and 34% to 86%, p<0.001) and learning effect (from 65% and 63% to 83%, p<0.05) was observed. Satisfaction ratings stayed on a high level in three subsequent courses with the modules. Qualitative evaluation revealed mostly positive responses, with not a single negative comment regarding the blended learning concept. The results showed that the e-learning tool was appreciated by the students and suggest that learning objective tests can be successfully implemented in blended learning.
... Sessions with the course director were scheduled in when learning using 3D visualization. [8][9][10] Dentistry too has adopted computer-based education methods or e-learning technology for educating students in dental terminology, 11 dental implantology, 12 oral manifestations of systemic disease, 13 geriatric dental care, 14 tobacco cessation, 15 diagnosis and treatment planning, 16,17 clinical simulations, [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] orthodontics, [30][31][32][33][34][35] anatomy, 36,37 dental morphology, [38][39][40][41][42] pharmacology, 43 radiology, [44][45][46] and histology, 47 as well as comprehensively in a dental curriculum. 48,49 Dental students have a strong desire for, and positive reaction to, interactive learning tools that include 3D graphics. ...
... 42 In dental morphology, these educational resources are generally recognized as a great benefit in preparing for tests. Although many studies have investigated the use of computer-based digital interactive technologies that incorporate 3D graphics as an educational aid in teaching dental morphology, [38][39][40][41][42] documentation of its application in fixed prosthodontics curricula is minimal. The skills and knowledge developed in dental morphology and occlusion are fundamental and prerequisite to learning fixed prosthodontics. ...
... Because today's dental students have a preference for visual learning and a digital interface, many of the computer-based techniques introduced in dental curricula are well received by students. [40][41][42]52,53 Evaluating students' perceptions of their ability to learn from new teaching modalities including those that utilize 3D graphics is essential in the evolution of dental education. However, student preference for one teaching resource over another may not necessarily translate to a positive educational outcome. ...
The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental students' perceptions of traditional waxing vs. computer-aided crown design and to determine the effectiveness of either technique through comparative grading of the final products. On one of twoidentical tooth preparations, second-year students at one dental school fabricated a wax pattern for a full contour crown; on the second tooth preparation, the same students designed and fabricated an all-ceramic crown using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology. Projects were graded for occlusion and anatomic form by three faculty members. On completion of the projects, 100 percent of the students (n=50) completed an eight-question, five-point Likert scalesurvey, designed to assess their perceptions of and learning associated with the two design techniques. The average grades for the crown design projects were 78.3 (CAD) and 79.1 (wax design). The mean numbers of occlusal contacts were 3.8 (CAD) and 2.9(wax design), which was significantly higher for CAD (p=0.02). The survey results indicated that students enjoyed designing afull contour crown using CAD as compared to using conventional wax techniques and spent less time designing the crown using CAD. From a learning perspective, students felt that they learned more about position and the size/strength of occlusal contacts using CAD. However, students recognized that CAD technology has limits in terms of representing anatomic contours and excursive occlusion compared to conventional wax techniques. The results suggest that crown design using CAD could be considered as an adjunct to conventional wax-added techniques in preclinical fixed prosthodontic curricula.
... 10 Blended learning has already been employed in dental education and has shown significant applicability. [11][12][13][14] Dental students have reported a positive attitude towards the integration of e-learning in general and the web-based learning of dental morphology in particular. 13 Furthermore, blended learning Germany. ...
... [11][12][13][14] Dental students have reported a positive attitude towards the integration of e-learning in general and the web-based learning of dental morphology in particular. 13 Furthermore, blended learning Germany. All students of the class participated in the course with the integrated digital learning content. ...
... The observed positive effect of blended learning on students' satisfaction agrees with results from previous studies. [11][12][13][14]20 No study in dentistry was ...
Objectives: While studying dentistry, students do not only have to acquire a high amount of theoretical knowledge, but also need to gain practical skills and learn to perform complex workflows independently. In conventional education concepts and courses, the combination of these different core competences can only insufficiently be conveyed to dental students. The aim of this project was to establish a permanently available online presentation of the complete learning contents to close the time gap between acquirement and application of knowledge and skills.
Methods: Video recordings of the practical demonstrations were prepared and cut into sequences, which dealt with single learning goals. The films were accompanied by advices and background information and made available online after digital processing. To increase motivation of students, a learning objectives test was integrated which gave a feedback to the students about their learning progress. Additionally, continuative learning contents were built in for interested students. The application was integrated into the existing technical infrastructure of the University of Hamburg (OLAT e-learning platform) and evaluated by comparing satisfaction scores of students using the new application with results of the previous year without this application.
Results: A total of 89 students participated in the preclinical course with integrated digital learning content. Compared with evaluation results of the previous year, satisfaction with learning content (from 34% to 86%, p<0.001) and learning effect (from 65% to 83%, p<0.05) increased substantially and statistically significantly. Qualitative evaluation revealed a very positive response (e.g., “good alternative to local demonstrations”, “complementary knowledge in OLAT very useful, also for preparation of exams”).
Conclusion: A didactically high-quality digital online-course was established that complies with modern requirements of a digital learning environment regarding self-directed learning and learning objectives tests. The newly developed learning tool represents an optimal add-on to the existing conventional education concepts.
... To achieve a detailed understanding of anatomical structures, hands-on practical courses have been deemed essential. Such courses employ dental anatomy carvings and the use of plastic teeth models [4,12]. However, teaching the biological variations inherent in natural teeth poses a challenge when using plastic models or carvings. ...
... Dent. J. 2024, 12, 270 ...
The study of tooth morphology is a critical component of the dental curriculum, highlighting the importance for dental students to acquire comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the complex structure of teeth. This study compared the educational outcomes of two student cohorts in a tooth morphology course, using traditional methods for the control group and additional digital video-based resources for the experimental group. We hypothesized that early integration of digital resources would significantly reduce the learning time. We retrospectively analyzed two groups of Master of Dentistry students. The control group (42 students) was taught using the traditional ‘tooth puzzle’ method, while the experimental group (42 students) supplemented traditional teaching with digital video-based tools developed by our department. Both groups’ curricula culminated in a practical post-course test requiring the identification of 40 teeth, along with a mid-course test to track the students’ learning progression. The number and type of incorrectly identified teeth were recorded. The mid-course test showed significant performance differences. The control group had a median (Q1, Q3) value of faults of 12.0 (7.8, 20.5), whereas the respective value for the experimental group was 4.0 (0.0, 8.0) (p < 0.001). In the control group, none achieved faultless results, with only two students (4.8%) having at most two faults, and six students (14.3%) having no more than four faults. The control group averaged 13.5 faults per student, with 19 students (45.2%) failing the test. Conversely, the experimental group showed improved performance: 12 students (28.6%) had no faults, and 25 students (59.5%) had four or fewer faults. The experimental group averaged 5.2 faults per student, with only four students (9.5%) failing. By the end of the course, both groups achieved commendable results on the practical tooth identification test. The experimental group slightly outperformed the control group, though the difference was not significant. The median (Q1, Q3) values were 0.0 (0.0, 2.5) and 1.0 (0.0, 4.5) for the experimental and control groups, respectively (p = 0.372). The students using both traditional and structured digital video-based tools showed greater learning advancement than those using only the traditional ‘tooth puzzle’ method.
... Teaching through the use of E-learning tools, which are independent and interactive, along with the implementation of virtual reality (VR) [10,11], has been reported in several studies but is understood to have an impact only as a valuable supplementary resource [6,12,13]. Hence, to develop a profound understanding of anatomical details, a practical course has been considered crucial, specifically in terms of dental anatomy carvings or the use of plastic teeth [14,15]. However, the biological features of teeth contain various anatomical variations that are hard to teach by using plastic teeth or through carving. ...
... A thorough education in tooth anatomy equips students with essential skills for addressing practical dental challenges. Multisensory engagement and interactive learning are pivotal in fostering a comprehensive educational experience [14,15]. This study posits that there are limits to digital learning. ...
Objective: Tooth morphology education is a critical component of dental curricula, providing a foundational understanding of the intricate structural anatomy of teeth. This study evaluates the learning outcomes in relation to tooth morphology of two student cohorts from different academic terms, comparing the traditional ‘tooth puzzle’ method to an alternative fully digital approach. Materials and Methods: Two groups of Master of Dentistry students were retrospectively analyzed. The control group (55 students) was taught via the ‘tooth puzzle’ method in 2021, while the experimental group (55 students) underwent a fully digital course in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Both groups completed a digital examination involving the identification of 40 teeth, presented as images and videos. Results: In the control group of 55 students, nearly half (49.1%) achieved faultless results, while 65.5% had at most two faults, and 74.5% had no more than four faults. The group had a total of 163 faults, averaging 3.0 per student, with only one student (1.8%) failing the test. In stark contrast, the experimental group had no students without faults, 9.1% had four or fewer faults, and a significant 61.8% made 10 or more faults, with 29.1% failing their first test attempt by exceeding 12 faults. Overall, the experimental group registered 582 faults, averaging 10.6 per student. Conclusions: The ‘tooth puzzle’ method, with its interactive and tactile elements, proved more effective in teaching tooth morphology than the digital-only approach. The increased number of faults and failed tests in the experimental group suggest that while digital tools offer meaningful support in learning tooth morphology, their main advantage is seen when coupled with traditional hands-on techniques, not unassisted and independently.
... 3 The acceptance of distance learning by students has also been examined in numerous investigations and positive results were reported almost without exception. 10,[12][13][14][15][16][17] Although the use of digital teaching concepts was extensively described by the students, investigations that examined the topic on the part of the lecturers can hardly be found. 18 In addition to the effectiveness of the teaching method mentioned and the acceptance by the students, the question of the creation effort for digital teaching units, the acceptance on the lecturer's side and their ability to use digital media is a decisive factor for the increased use of digital teaching concepts within the dental curriculum. ...
... How much this trend has changed in the field of dental teaching was shown by the question of experience with online teaching. Although the acceptance, the usefulness and the effectiveness of digital learning formats have been described for decades, 10,12,[14][15][16][17][26][27][28] only 24.8% of respondents said that they had offered digital teaching prior to pandemic. In addition, 64.4% of the participating lecturers had no previous experience. ...
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant restrictions on dental teaching. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty members towards digital teaching formats and the effort creating digital lectures. We hypothesized that on the lecturer side there is no difference between the various digital teaching concepts in terms of workload and effort and that there is no increase in workload and effort when switching to digital teaching concepts.
Methods: All German dental faculties were invited to the online survey by an anonymous voluntary questionnaire from January to April 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions that could be answered with a visual analog scale, free text answers, or with fixed answer options. Data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and an exploratory data analysis (α=0.05).
Results: Before the pandemic, 24.8% of the participating lecturers were using digital teaching and 64.4% had no previous experience. After the outbreak of the pandemic 100% of the dental teaching was initially held online. More than 80% of the lecturers stated that they offer online lectures (86.1%), online seminars (81.2%), and/or online bedside teaching (33.7%). 88.1% see face-to-face teaching as the preferred teaching format. The lecturers also see the greatest opportunities for interaction in the area of analog teaching and significantly worse in synchronous and asynchronous digital teaching. In the course of the pandemic, respondents' attitudes towards online teaching improved in the median of 24.0 to a median of 50.0.
Conclusions: Faculty members have positively changed their attitudes towards online teaching formats over the course of the pandemic. Although they see the greatest learning success in conventional face-to-face teaching formats and the creation of digital lectures is associated with a higher effort, they want more online lessons in the future.
... Particularly in the area of blended learning, an effectiveness that was not lower than in the case of faceto-face teaching was reported [3]. The acceptance of distance learning by students has also been examined in numerous investigations and positive results were reported almost without exception [10,[12][13][14][15][16][17]. ...
... How much this trend has changed in the eld of dental teaching was shown by the question of experience with online teaching. Although the acceptance, the usefulness and the effectiveness of digital learning formats have been described for decades [10,12,[14][15][16][17][26][27][28], only 24.8% of respondents said that they had offered digital teaching prior to pandemic. In addition, 64.4% of the participating lecturers had no previous experience. ...
Background: The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant restrictions on dental teaching. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty members towards digital teaching formats and the effort creating digital lectures.
Methods: All German dental faculties were invited from January to April 2021 to the online survey by an anonymous voluntary questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions that could be answered with a visual analog scale, free text answers or with fixed answer options. Data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and an exploratory data analysis (α=0.05).
Results: Before the pandemic, 24.8% of the participating lecturers were using digital teaching and 64.4% had no previous experience. After the outbreak of the pandemic, more than 80% of the lecturers stated that they offer online lectures (86.1%), online seminars (81.2%), and/or online bedside teaching (33.7%). 88.1% see face-to-face teaching as the preferred teaching format.
The lecturers also see the greatest opportunities for interaction in the area of analog teaching and significantly worse in synchronous and asynchronous digital teaching. In the course of the pandemic, respondents' attitudes towards online teaching improved in the median of 24.0 to a median of 50.0.
Conclusions: Faculty members have positively changed their attitudes towards online teaching formats over the course of the pandemic. Although they see the greatest learning success in conventional face-to-face teaching formats and the creation of digital lectures is associated with a higher effort, they want more online lessons in the future.
... The authors concluded that the application was of equivalent educational value with extracted teeth, while they stated that computer-based 3D models enhance teaching outcomes. Relevant literature was cited at the introduction of the article, in order to support the authors' point of view (Mitov et al., 2010;Wright and Hendricson, 2010). We would like to note that, although those two articles demonstrated some positive students' perceptions about digital 3D models, they did not evaluate the acquisition of anatomical knowledge, after the implementation of these models. ...
... This slightly positive perception was not enough to permit to authors to integrate this teaching modality to their dental anatomy curriculum. Mitov et al. (2010) investigated the perceptions of 36 second-year dental students about the implementation of digital 3D models in their tooth morphology education. Thirty-five out of the 36 participants simply argued that this method was helpful for promoting dental morphology learning. ...
It was our pleasure to read the article by Lone et al. (2019), who developed and assessed a three‐dimensional (3D) application for dental anatomy education. The authors concluded that the application was of equivalent educational value with extracted teeth, while they stated that computer‐based 3D models enhance teaching outcomes. Relevant literature was cited at the introduction of the article, in order to support the authors' point of view (Mitov et al., 2010; Wright and Hendricson, 2010).
... The study of tooth morphology is a basic and major component of the curriculum taught to dental and dental hygiene students. 1 This field comprises teaching the anatomical and morphological features of the deciduous and permanent teeth, followed by oral cavity examination which requires accurate identification of the teeth. 2 Traditional methods of teaching tooth morphology include lectures, 3 practical elements involving wax carving, 4,5 studying with extracted teeth, 6 plastic teeth 2 and drawings various images/views of the teeth. 7 However, some limitations were noted with these teaching methods, particularly extracted human teeth. ...
... 3 The more recent cohorts of students are regularly referred to as "digital natives" or the "YouTube generation", 8,9 and are usually comfortable with using and learning with technology, 10 thus suggesting that the incorporation of e-learning elements into the dental curriculum may be appropriate. 6 Online tests/quizzes have been shown to motivate students and can be invaluable in learning. 3 Innovative teaching strategies are being developed and used for teaching tooth morphology such as 3D simulation, 11, 12 dentistry applications 13,14 and Moodle. ...
Background:
Tooth morphology is a central component of the dental curriculum and is applicable to all dental specialities. Traditional teaching methods are being supplemented with innovative strategies to tailor teaching and accommodate the learning styles of the recent generation of students.
Methods:
An online survey was compiled and distributed to the staff involved in teaching tooth morphology in the United Kingdom and Ireland to assess the importance of tooth morphology in the dentistry curriculum and the methodologies employed in teaching.
Results:
The results of the survey show that tooth morphology constitutes a small module in the dental curriculum. It is taught in the first 2 years of the dental curriculum but is applicable in the clinical years and throughout the dental career. Traditional teaching methods, lecture and practical, are being augmented with innovative teaching including e-learning via virtual learning environment, tooth atlas and e-books leading to blended learning. The majority of the schools teach both normal dental anatomy and morphologic variations of dental anatomy and utilise plastic teeth for practical and examination purposes. Learning the 3D aspects of tooth morphology was deemed important by most of the respondents who also agreed that tooth morphology is a difficult topic for the students.
Conclusion:
Despite being core to the dental curriculum, overall minimal time is dedicated to the delivery of tooth morphology, creating a reliance on the student to learn the material. New forms of delivery including computer-assisted learning tools should help sustain learning and previously acquired knowledge.
... In addition to lectures, the tooth morphology is presented to students in practical courses with sculptures of teeth in wax blocks, in which the dimensions of the teeth are generally produced larger than the normal average measures of natural teeth. 5 The geometric method is one of the most widely used to teach dental anatomy and consists of the use of a block of wax to define anatomical structures, such as the position of cusps and ridges and the sculpture of teeth. 6 Furthermore, pulp anatomy has traditionally been taught using preserved cross-sections of human teeth with radiographs and three-dimensional models produced by the injection of colored resin into the pulp space. ...
... 6 Furthermore, pulp anatomy has traditionally been taught using preserved cross-sections of human teeth with radiographs and three-dimensional models produced by the injection of colored resin into the pulp space. 5 Among the newer teaching methods, the use of software has several characteristics that may contribute to the learning of dental sculpture. This method can be used anytime and anywhere, and it can be interactive and intuitive. ...
The aim of this study was to review the effectiveness of methods used for teaching dental anatomy carving to dental students in operative dentistry as evaluated in published studies. This systematic review is described in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Two independent reviewers performed a systematic literature search of research published from January 1945 until May 2014. Seven databases were screened: MedLine (PubMed), Lilacs, IBECS, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, and The Cochrane Library. After removing duplicates, only studies using dental carving to assess the practical knowledge of anatomy were selected. The tabulated data were organized by title of article, names of authors, number of students assessed, assessment method, material used, groups tested, main results, and conclusions. The methodology quality was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Initially, 2,258 studies were identified in all databases. Five articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. According to these studies, the geometric method, teaching step-by-step along with the teacher, and adjuvant methods such as the use of tutors and teaching through digital media with DVDs proved to be effective in improving learning. There is no standard technique that is widely accepted for the teaching of dental carving, nor is there an appropriately validated method of evaluation to verify whether the teaching methods used are effective for the acquisition of skills and expertise in dental anatomy by students.
... In addition to lectures, the tooth morphology is presented to students in practical courses with sculptures of teeth in wax blocks, in which the dimensions of the teeth are generally produced larger than the normal average measures of natural teeth. 5 The geometric method is one of the most widely used to teach dental anatomy and consists of the use of a block of wax to define anatomical structures, such as the position of cusps and ridges and the sculpture of teeth. 6 Furthermore, pulp anatomy has traditionally been taught using preserved cross-sections of human teeth with radiographs and three-dimensional models produced by the injection of colored resin into the pulp space. ...
... 6 Furthermore, pulp anatomy has traditionally been taught using preserved cross-sections of human teeth with radiographs and three-dimensional models produced by the injection of colored resin into the pulp space. 5 Among the newer teaching methods, the use of software has several characteristics that may contribute to the learning of dental sculpture. This method can be used anytime and anywhere, and it can be interactive and intuitive. ...
Introduction: The knowledge of dental anatomy is of great importance in clinical practice, especially in oral rehabilitation. The teeth can fulfill their duties, it is necessary that their anatomical shape is correct. Dental carving has played a major role in the formation of dental students since it develops and trains the manual ability of academics.
Objectives: Evaluate the theoretical and practical knowledge of dental anatomy acquired by pre-dental students as well as compare, after completion of a didactic-theoretical reinforcement about dental anatomy, anatomical quality restorations performed between two groups of students. Methods: For the evaluation of theoretical knowledge, a questionnaire with closed questions about dental anatomy was used. To analyze the results of support teaching, dental sculptures made by two of 15 volunteer students of a preclinical discipline were evaluated: one group received theoretical enhancement on dental anatomy (G1) and the other did not (G2). The assessment and comparison between the groups were made by using a pre-determined score. The restorations were performed in wax models on arches with plastic teeth. Quantitative data with normal distribution were evaluated with "t" test for comparison between groups of students, and qualitative data recorded in scores were analyzed by Mann - Whitney test ( p < 0.05 ).
Results: The theoretical evaluation revealed no significant difference (mean ± sd) between G1 (8.51±0.66) and G2 (8.62±0.91) in the notes previously obtained for this study (p = 0.725). In evaluating dental carving, all G1 students demonstrated an improvement of the quality of the dental sculptures, and only for tooth 42 there was no significant difference between groups (p = 0.096).
Conclusions: The theoretical enhancement of dental anatomy promoted an improvement in student performance in dental carving of all teeth, but did not result in enhancing of knowledge about dental anatomy.
... However, students perceived the online module to aid learning. Mitov et al. (2010) 36 second-year dental students (Germany) Evaluation of an online adjunct (3D models) to traditional teaching of tooth morphology. Post-course questionnaire. ...
Aim
The 1st European Workshop on Periodontal Education in 2009 made recommendations regarding the scope of periodontal education at undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and continuing professional development (CPD) levels, defining competencies and learning outcomes that were instrumental at the time in helping to define periodontal teaching curricula. The 19th European Workshop on Periodontology and 2nd European Consensus Workshop on Education in Periodontology ( Education in Periodontology in Europe ) was held in 2023 to identify changes and future developments in periodontal education (including those informed by the COVID‐19 pandemic) and embracing methods and formats of periodontal teaching and training. The aim of this review was to assess current knowledge regarding education methods in periodontology, including traditional face‐to‐face (F2F) teaching and the move to student‐centred methods, virtual learning methods and use of digital technology, as well as blended teaching and learning (including teaching delivery and assessment) at UG, PG and CPD levels.
Materials and Methods
Systematic searches were conducted to identify relevant studies from the literature. Data were extracted and descriptive summaries collated.
Results
The pandemic was a major disruptor of traditional F2F teaching but provided opportunities for rapid implementation of alternative and supplementary teaching methods. Although online learning has become an integral part of periodontal education, teachers and learners alike favour some form of F2F teaching. Blended teaching and learning are feasible in many areas of periodontal education, both for knowledge and skills acquisition as well as in assessment. Student‐centred methods and blended approaches such as the flipped classroom seem highly effective, and online/virtual classrooms with both synchronous and asynchronous lectures are highly valued. Learning with haptic methods and virtual reality (VR) enhances the educational experience, especially when VR is integrated with traditional methods. The quality of the teacher continues to be decisive for the best knowledge transfer in all its forms.
Conclusions
Live F2F teaching continues to be highly trusted; however, all types of student‐centred and interactive forms of knowledge transfer are embraced as enhancements. While digital methods offer innovation in education, blended approaches integrating both virtual and traditional methods appear optimal to maximize the achievement of learning outcomes. All areas of periodontal education (UG, PG and CPD) can benefit from such approaches; however, more research is needed to evaluate their benefits, both for knowledge transfer and skills development, as well as in assessment.
... Several studies have emphasised the advantages of web-based learning in dental education. [11][12][13] Howerton et al 14 reported similar learning outcomes between computer-assisted and conventional learning methods with the computer-assisted method being preferred by students. ...
Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) examination of the tem-poromandibular joint (TMJ) has become a recognised tool in case of suspicion for the presence of osseous changes, after a thorough history and clinical examination of the patient. CBCT images provide high spatial resolution in three-dimensional (3D) images, which is desirable in diagnostics and treatment of temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Often, its diagnostic accuracy and reliability are better than that of two-dimensional (2D) images. 1 CBCT provides comparable diagnostic accuracy with a relatively lower radiation dose and cost compared with medical computed tomography (CT) 2-4 and, at present , is considered the technique of choice for evaluating osseous changes of the TMJ. 5 Abstract Objectives: To develop and evaluate an educational web-based programme for tem-poromandibular joint (TMJ) assessment using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: A web-based educational programme was designed for TMJ assessment using CBCT images. Fifteen CBCT cases of the TMJ (three-dimensional reconstructed volumes) and an assessment module based on image analysis criteria in the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) were added to the programme. Thirty-six undergraduate dental students were invited to test the programme by assessing all cases twice: before and after 2 months of training. Participants submitted written subjective evaluations of the programme. Results: The web-based programme can be accessed on Malmö University webpage (www.cbct-tmj.mau.se). Despite limited CBCT learning in their undergraduate training and not using the programme in the 2-month interval, the students were able to correctly diagnose 80% of the cases at the second assessment. Their diagnoses, however, did not differ significantly from the first assessment. Overall, the students were satisfied with the programme and considered it user-friendly. Conclusion: The web-based educational programme that was developed in the present study and tested by dental students could be a useful educational tool for TMJ assessment using CBCT. K E Y W O R D S cone-beam CT, education, temporomandibular joint, training programme
... Online formats have been rapidly and innovatively used to support teaching and learning, which was previously non existent in dental education in Germany because patient education requires hands-on practice, and the dental curriculum was designed in its original format as a full-time, face-to-face format [20]. The availability of online teaching in education has significantly increased [21,22]. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a paradigm shift in dental education and future clinical provision [23]. ...
Background
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in dental education, resulting in a shift from face-to-face teaching to online learning. While online learning could be a common strategy in various fields, the challenge for dental education is that it depends on the requirements of clinical experience to achieve competence in performing the dental treatment. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyse students’ and lecturers’ perceptions towards online learning after five semesters of experience using a questionnaire survey.
Methods
Since the spring term of 2020, the theoretical part of the curriculum has been conducted in the form of online learning using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous formats. In the following semesters, more theoretical content was shifted back from online learning to face-to-face courses. Preclinical and clinical students enrolled in the dental curriculum during the spring term 2022 semester and all lecturers with at least one year of teaching experience in face-to-face and online learning formats were asked to fill out an online questionnaire regarding the aspects of handling, didactic benefit, motivation, and overall assessment.
Results
Students and lecturers rated the implementation of online learning as mostly positive, but pointed out that established ‘face-to-face’ learning could not be replaced. Moreover, the students reported personal benefits in terms of daily planning. Lecturers also benefitted as their experience increased in online teaching. For future curriculum, students demanded 49.5% (25.1) ((mean (standard deviation) of theoretical part in terms of online learning), while lecturers demanded only 34.1% (24.1).
Conclusions
Despite having no prior need for online learning, students and lecturers showed a positive perspective on online learning which should be considered in the implementation and planning of future dental education. However, in terms of practical training, it cannot replace face-to-face education in dentistry.
... [12] Advanced teaching aids such as the photorealistic 3D models of teeth and computerassisted learning tools like Morpho Dent are also preferred methods of learning dental anatomy among the students. [13,14] Ninety percentage of the respondents agreed that tooth morphology influences occlusion. A study by Sierpinska et al. has proved that the occlusal morphology of premolars and molars has a great influence on the occlusion time. ...
Objectives
The subject of dental anatomy is basically very important both from academic and practical points of view in dentistry. The present study was designed to determine the extent of variations in the perception of dental anatomy among dental students, dental practitioners, and dental academicians.
Material and Methods
The questionnaire consisted of 15 closed-ended questions related to dental anatomy. There were 11 dichotomous questions with “yes” and “no” options and four multiple-choice questions. The questions were validated by experts and the questionnaire was submitted in Google form to the targeted respondent’s groups through WhatsApp and Emails. The responses received over 2 months were considered for statistical analysis. The Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test was performed to test the difference in the responses between the groups of respondents.
Results
The results of the study revealed that nearly 62–92% of the respondents gave an affirmative response to the dichotomous questions (Q. No. 1–11). The digital Vernier caliper was the most preferred instrument to measure the tooth dimensions and the FDI system was the most preferred nomenclature system among the respondents (66.7%) followed by the Palmer-Zsigmondy system (18.2%). Almost 50% of the respondents opted for conservative dentistry and endodontics as the clinical specialty in dentistry, where the knowledge of dental anatomy has its greatest application.
Conclusion
There was no significant difference in the opinion about dental anatomy between the undergraduate dental students and the professionals except for their opinion regarding the course curriculum.
... [14,15] Incorporating innovative pedagogical techniques can be used to overcome the problem of the short attention span of students. [16][17][18][19] Using audio/visual teaching aids were the other perceived effective factors that influence students learning in classrooms. Lecturing topics in detail were not perceived as mandatory for effective lecturing and received only 50% agreement. ...
Introduction: Effective communication between educators and students is essential in the
learning process. Knowledge of student attitudes toward effective teaching methodologies
can be used for future development of dental faculty. The purpose of this study was to
investigate dental student attitudes toward effective factors affecting quality of well-delivered
didactic dental courses in classrooms.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed between 130
dental students at clinical stage (4-6 years) in academic year 2012-2013 in Babol University
of Medical Sciences. The questionnaires were consisted of 36 items and further categorized
into four dimensions: (1) Educators, (2) Academic Administration, (3) Course content and
(4) Classrooms physical environment. After confirmation of content validity and reliability,
they were filled by students. Students ‘agreement with each item in the questionnaire was
measured using 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics of the data and statistical analysis,
t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient, were used. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Ninety-eight students responded with response rate of 75 percent. Oral presentation
skills and integrated logical order of content in relation to educators, early detailed course plan
and visual aids such as instructional videos in relation to course content, were the most important
factors recognized by student to influence quality of didactic dental course presentations in the
classrooms. Future dental faculty development requires investments, trainings, and support.
Conclusion: Dental educators should analyze predominant learning styles of students and
change dental curriculum in a way to provide an optimal learning experience.
... Since dental anatomy is one of the first lessons directly related to teeth and mouth function, it presents particular challenges for students and teachers (Mitov et al., 2010). In most schools, the didactic part of dental morphology is usually taught in the traditional course format, and written exams test students' knowledge (Maggio et al., 2012). ...
Tooth carving is done to develop the psychomotor skills necessary for dental technician practice and teach tooth morphology. This study aimed to determine the effect of tooth carving as a teaching method for tooth morphology and assessment. 116 students trained in teeth carving at Istanbul Aydın University Dental Technician Department were subjected to 2 different teeth carving exams with soap and wax. Instructors evaluated tooth carvings according to a standard checklist. At the end of this study, a student satisfaction survey was carried out to get feedback on tooth carving as a teaching methodology. The scores given by the instructors did not differ by material and gender (p >0.05). Overall, student feedback on teeth carving was equally positive. The vast majority found the tooth they carved to be confirmed (75.86%). They believed that carving exercises would help develop laboratory skills (76.03%). They found the training method and materials applied sufficient. Dental carving applications develop dexterity and psychomotor skills for dental prosthesis technician applications. Before laboratory applications, it should be an integral component of the dental prosthesis technician curriculum to develop cognitive and psychomotor skills related to clinical applications. Based on this study, live representation of teeth carving skills and different educational materials (plaster models, videos, slides, etc.) should be the preferred teaching method.
... Since dental anatomy is one of the first lessons directly related to teeth and mouth function, it presents particular challenges for students and teachers (Mitov et al., 2010). In most schools, the didactic part of dental morphology is usually taught in the traditional course format, and written exams test students' knowledge (Maggio et al., 2012). ...
Tooth carving is done to develop the psychomotor skills necessary for dental technician practice and teach tooth morphology. This study aimed to determine the effect of tooth carving as a teaching method for tooth morphology and assessment. 116 students trained in teeth carving at Istanbul Aydın University Dental Technician Department were subjected to 2 different teeth carving exams with soap and wax. Instructors evaluated tooth carvings according to a standard checklist. At the end of this study, a student satisfaction survey was carried out to get feedback on tooth carving as a teaching methodology. The scores given by the instructors did not differ by material and gender (p >0.05). Overall, student feedback on teeth carving was equally positive. The vast majority found the tooth they carved to be confirmed (75.86%). They believed that carving exercises would help develop laboratory skills (76.03%). They found the training method and materials applied sufficient. Dental carving applications develop dexterity and psychomotor skills for dental prosthesis technician applications. Before laboratory applications, it should be an integral component of the dental prosthesis technician curriculum to develop cognitive and psychomotor skills related to clinical applications. Based on this study, live representation of teeth carving skills and different educational materials (plaster models, videos, slides, etc.) should be the preferred teaching method.
... El estudio de la anatomía y morfología de los dientes son fundamentos integrales de una carrera odontológica (7)(8)(9)(10). ...
La odontologia digital es una realidad, incorporar competencias digitales es ya perentorio en la formación de recurso humano en Odontologia. El uso del software Autodesk Meshmixer es una gran oportunidad para poder introducir tempranamente al estudiante de estomatología. Se comparte la experiencia como en el curso de Laboratorio de la Clínica Integral de Adulto CIA-2021 donde se diseñó una estrategia didáctica para involucrar el manejo de Meshmixer en el modelado 3D o diseño digital en 3D.
... 2 Existen modelos o simuladores de apoyo a las prácticas preclínicas que crean experiencias basadas en la tecnología de realidad virtual, también llamadas unidades de simulación, como una forma de enseñar procedimientos para darles a los estudiantes las instrucciones en preclínica. 9 La tecnología háptica o realidad virtual, en la cual se puede tener una sensación de contacto con objetos virtuales, se ha usado en odontología para el entrenamiento de la destreza dental manual y se ha evaluado favorablemente por miembros experimentados de las facultades y estudiantes de odontología. [10][11] En periodoncia, se habla del PerioSim, un simulador háptico capaz de ayudar a los estudiantes en el desarrollo de las destrezas táctiles referentes a dientes y encías, necesarias en el diagnóstico periodontal. ...
La educación en el siglo XXI está inmersa en una era tecnológica, que ha generado un cambio en los procesos de enseñanza, en este punto juega un rol fundamental las TICs. Estas son un conjunto de tecnologías que permiten la adquisición, producción, almacenamiento, tratamiento, comunicación, registro y presentación de información contenidas en señales de naturaleza acústica, óptico o electromagnética. La aplicación de las TICs en general como modelos de enseñanza han tenido un repunte importante posiblemente por el desarrollo de los sistemas informáticos y por la aplicación de nuevos modelos de educación que se contraponen a los ya tradicionales.
... The application has two main functions: the first function is specified to educate patients; because educating patients through multimedia documents have significant impacts as stated by (Mitov et al., 2010;Salajan and Mount, 2012;Javaid et al., 2016). The second function is to manage and record patients' information; the success of managing patients' information through the use of applications has been examined by different studies such as (Codreanu and Florea, 2016;Estai et al., 2016;Serrato-Lopez, Pacheco-Rojas, and Armas-Aguirre, 2018;Watson, 2019). ...
It is difficult for hospitals and clinics to manage their documents related to their patients and routine works without having management software. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a web-based dental clinic application for educating and managing patients. Recent web technologies such as ASP.NET, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and Web Service have been used for developing the application; it is hosted in the Cloud and it is powered by Microsoft Azure Cloud computing Service. A clinic has been selected to use and evaluate the application. The evaluation results of the application show that the application meets its objectives of educating and managing patients. It can be updated and extended to use in various private and public hospitals and clinics for educating and managing patients.
... It indicates how closely related a set of items is as a group 22 . The literature shows other software similar to APPOLO that have been employed with the purpose of teaching and training in dentistry 23,24,25 , such as RadioXtudy for teaching dental radiology and pathology, available in App stores. In the case of APPOLO, the web management tool and the presence of artificial intelligence in another version are traits that make it unique among other Apps available for the study of radiology. ...
Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver e avaliar um aplicativo para smartphone com uma ferramenta de gerenciamento de conteúdo da web para o estudo da anatomia radiográfica periapical. Atividades de Design Thinking foram realizadas para melhor compreender o problema proposto pelo grupo de pesquisa. Em seguida, foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória via Google Forms com 44 estudantes de Odontologia, aplicando-se um questionário para auxiliar no desenvolvimento de um aplicativo para ensino de Radiologia. Com o aplicativo na versão inicial, beta, foram aplicados questionários de satisfação e usabilidade com 51 alunos do curso de graduação em Odontologia, para avaliação do App. O coeficiente alfa de Cronbach foi aplicado a esses questionários e valores acima de 0,7 foram obtidos, demonstrando sua confiabilidade. Na avaliação do aplicativo, denominado APPOLO, que significa “App of learning online”, 98,04% dos alunos afirmaram que o conteúdo disponível era certamente importante. A quantidade de imagens foi considerada entre satisfatórias e muito satisfatórias por 94,19% dos participantes e 100% deles julgaram a qualidade das imagens também satisfatória ou muito satisfatória. A maioria dos participantes (94,11%) sentiu-se motivada em complementar seu estudo com esse tipo de metodologia. Quanto a usabilidade do aplicativo, 98,04% classificaram entre fácil e muito fácil o seu manuseio, 100% o acesso aos conteúdos ofertados e 98% o acesso aos textos, seguindo essa mesma métrica. O aplicativo APPOLO demonstrou ser prático, de fácil entendimento, navegação e utilização, e revelou auxiliar no apoio ao ensino dos alunos da disciplina de Radiologia Odontológica.
... Several studies have emphasised the advantages of web-based learning in dental education. [11][12][13] Howerton et al 14 reported similar learning outcomes between computer-assisted and conventional learning methods with the computer-assisted method being preferred by students. ...
Objectives
To develop and evaluate an educational web‐based program for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) assessment using cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Methods
A web‐based educational program was designed for TMJ assessment using CBCT images. Fifteen CBCT cases of the TMJ (three‐dimensional reconstructed volumes) and an assessment module based on image analysis criteria in the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) were added to the program. Thirty‐six undergraduate dental students were invited to test the program by assessing all cases twice: before and after 2 months of training. Participants submitted written subjective evaluations of the program.
Results
The web‐based program can be accessed on Malmö University webpage (www.cbct-tmj.mau.se). Despite limited CBCT learning in their undergraduate training and not using the program in the 2‐month interval, the students were able to correctly diagnose 80% of the cases at the second assessment. Their diagnoses, however, did not differ significantly from the first assessment. Overall, the students were satisfied with the program and considered it user friendly.
Conclusion
The web‐based educational program that was developed in the present study and tested by dental students could be a useful educational tool for TMJ assessment using CBCT.
... However, the most widespread technique for teaching teeth anatomy and morphology in dental faculties worldwide is the use of wax blocks in dental carving [4]. Although using digital media such as DVDs and geometrical dental models has been shown to be an effective learning strategy [5], there has yet been no suitable validated assessment technique that has proven the effectiveness of such teaching strategies on the proper acquisition of dental anatomical knowledge and psychomotor skills for dental students [6]. ...
Background
A key role of dental carving is enhancing manual proficiency and dexterity of dental hygiene students. Yet, utilizing Supplementary Online Dental Anatomy Resources (SODAR) as a supportive teaching approach has demonstrated the ability to improve carving skills.
Objective
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of SODAR training in improving the quality of dental carving skills and knowledge among preclinical Saudi male students in Saudi Arabia.
Methods
A basic double-blinded randomized controlled trial of 30 preclinical Saudi dental male students was conducted between January and April 2019. Participants were classified into an experimental group that received SODAR training (n = 15) and a control group comprising students who did not receive SODAR training (n = 15). The t-test and Fisher’s exact test were performed to assess differences in theoretical knowledge between the two groups. While Cohen’s d test, t-test, and Pearson correlation were conducted to evaluate differences in students’ dental carvings.
Results
Students with SODAR training performed better on practical carving sessions than those without intervention (P-value < 0.001). However, SODAR intervention had no significant effect on the theoretical knowledge evaluations in both the groups.
Conclusion
SODAR training demonstrated its ability to support students learning in practical carving sessions; however, no effect on theoretical knowledge was observed. Future research should focus on factors that impact carving teaching strategies, including the quality and depth of online learning content, students’ perceptions of online learning, and experiences of teachers who run the online resources.
... [14,15] Incorporating innovative pedagogical techniques can be used to overcome the problem of the short attention span of students. [16][17][18][19] Using audio/visual teaching aids were the other perceived effective factors that influence students learning in classrooms. Lecturing topics in detail were not perceived as mandatory for effective lecturing and received only 50% agreement. ...
... Como exemplos de softwares com finalidade no ensino e capacitação da Odontologia surgem, o software de Visualização em 3D desenvolvido por Vuchkova et al.15 , que tem por objetivo o ensino da interpretação radiográfica das patologias bucais; o MorphoDent desen-volvido por Mitov et al.16 relacionado ao ensino da anatomia da dentição adulta; e o Interactive Histology Software (IHS) desenvolvido por Rosas et al.20 , que direciona o ensino da histologia com imagens em alta resolução, associada a rótulos com textos informativos.Contudo, nenhum destes softwares, nem em outros trabalhos similares encontrados durante o levantamento bibliográfico trazem a ideia da interdisciplinaridade como proposto pelo software desenvolvido neste estudo, que teve por objetivo a integração dos conteúdos, evitando a sua segmentação, como é de costume do método tradicional de ensino na graduação odontológica. Desta forma, concede-se aos discentes oportunidades para exploração do senso crítico, base científica para elaboração das etapas processuais do diagnóstico e consequente planejamento para o tratamento. ...
A tecnologia tem se difundido gradativamente em todas as esferas da sociedade, se estabelecendo como indispensável. No âmbito da educação não é diferente, ela vem abrindo novas portas para o desenvolvimento do conhecimento. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo descrever a, elaboração de uma plataforma multimídia sobre gênese dental e as possíveis alterações dento-alveolares que dela se originam, para que os estudantes tenham uma visão ampliada, dinâmica e interdisciplinar deste conhecimento. Como referencial teórico foram utilizados livros que servem como base no ensino da odontologia, além de buscas de artigos científicos nas bases de dados Scielo, PubMed, Periódicos CAPES, e em outras fontes de informação, como o Google Acadêmico. Para a elaboração do instrumento foi utilizado o sistema Flash + ActionScript 3 (AS3) na plataforma Adobe AIR, permitindo ao aluno a navegação em todas as fases formativas do elemento dentário à medida que clicarem no ambiente desejado. A interdisciplinaridade e interatividade dos assuntos permitidos por esta plataforma oportunizará ao discente a construir um conhecimento de alta relevância na odontologia, servindo de instrumento didático dentro da nova tendência do ensino que, consequentemente, ajudará no raciocínio da investigação do diagnóstico.
... Over the last 10-15 years, this link has been a trend in education and an effective element of teaching (Scheven, 2012;Buchaim et al, 2014). Some new methods have been developed as alternative ways to enhance dentistry teaching, including computer graphic programs (tooth morphology) that can provide a three-dimensional view of the dental anatomy (Mitov et al., 2010;Leisnert et al., 2012;Magne, 2015;Reissmann et al., 2015;Yammine and Violato, 2015;Bakr et al, 2016b) and online learning media, an important additional modality of teaching and training for dental and medical students (Mahmoodi et al., 2016). These methods have proven to be important for motivating and teaching dental students. ...
Knowledge of dental anatomy is of great importance in the practice of dentistry, especially in oral rehabilitation, because without this knowledge, professional practice is not possible. Dental carving plays a major role in training dental students as it develops their manual dexterity. This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the influence of didactic-theoretical reinforcement on the theoretical and practical knowledge of dental anatomy of preclinical students by examining the quality of the anatomical restorations performed by these students before and after a didactic-theoretical reinforcement. For the evaluation of theoretical knowledge, a questionnaire with closed questions about dental anatomy was used. To evaluate the effect of didactic reinforcement on dental carvings, two groups of 15 preclinical students were assessed. Experimental group (G1) received a three-hour theoretical tutoring on dental anatomy, while the control group (G2) did not. The dental carving scores obtained by the two different groups were compared using Student's t-test. Cohen's d was used to estimate the effect sizes between groups. The frequency of correct answers given for each theoretical knowledge question was compared in each group using Fisher's exact test. T-test was also used to compare the means of the two groups' final scores of theoretical evaluations. To compare these final scores obtained in both carving and theoretical tests, a principal component analysis was performed with different items assessed in each test to obtain factor loading scores and a final weighted score, where factor loadings were considered for each item. Weighted scores were compared using t-test. Also, scores obtained during the head and neck course were assessed and compared using t-test. Spearman's correlation test was used to assess the correlation between scores obtained prior to the anatomy course and scores obtained in the dental carving exercise. The theoretical evaluation revealed no significant difference between the grades (mean ± SD) of G1 (85.1 ± 6.6%) and G2 (86.2 ± 9.1%) with the grades of a baseline test that was previously obtained when students submitted to the study (P = 0.725). Regarding the tooth carving assessment, the dental carving quality by students of G1 has significantly improved, except for tooth #23 (P = 0.096). Theoretical reinforcement of dental anatomy seems to improve the students' carving performance but does not enhance their knowledge about dental anatomy. Anat Sci Educ. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.
... These computer-based methods provide excellent visualization, help in assimilation and re-memorization of anatomical knowledge using virtual anatomy and facilitates effective integration of spatial and symbolic domains. [10,11] These techniques may contribute as adjuvant training methods and may be considered in the revision of dental curriculum to improve the experience of learning tooth morphology and making it more interesting, innovative, interactive and clinically relevant which is in concordance with the views of Ranganathan. [6] The age-old exercise of carving using wax, remains the gold standard of all these E-learning techniques. ...
Background: Dental anatomy is one of the basic subjects of dental schools in India while dealt as a specialty on its own abroad. The training imparted to hone the manual skills has paved way to meet the clinical challenges. However, different schools of thought arise whether to retain or ban the dental anatomy subject for future graduates. Aim: To assess the comprehensive skills and application of tooth morphology among dental students. Objectives: (1) To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of tooth morphology in undergraduates (UGs), interns and postgraduates (PGs), (2) to evaluate the differences if any, in the knowledge, attitude and practice of tooth morphology between UGs, interns and PG. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken using an 18 item self-administered questionnaire among UGs, interns and PGs of dental colleges in Bengaluru. A total of 303 student responses were received. Analysis of data was done using SPSS (version 20) software. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the knowledge ( P = 0.005) and practice (P = 0.003) of tooth morphology between the three groups, i.e., PG, interns and UGs. The difference in the knowledge ( P = 0.001) and practice (P = 0.001) of tooth morphology between PGs and UGs was observed. A significant difference was obtained only in the knowledge (P = 0.038) of tooth morphology between interns and UGs. Conclusion: We recommend that tooth morphology should remain as a fundamental subject in the dental curriculum in combination with web-based learning aids to improve the learning experience. The curriculum may be revised incorporating research in the fundamental subject to give broader career options to the young graduates.
... 9,32 However, other studies have found no significant increase in academic results after introduction of blended learning. [33][34][35] To understand the factors contributing to improved student performance in the blended learning in our study, student responses to the questionnaire were analyzed. In response to question 2 ("I received helpful feedback and support"), students in the study cohort had significantly higher scores than students in the control group. ...
Dental students require a basic ability to explain and apply general principles of pathology to systemic, dental, and oral pathology. Although there have been recent advances in electronic and online resources, the academic effectiveness of using self-directed e-learning tools in pathology courses for dental students is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if blended learning combining e-learning with traditional learning methods of lectures and tutorials would improve students’ scores and satisfaction over those who experienced traditional learning alone. Two consecutive cohorts of Bachelor of Dentistry and Oral Health students taking the general pathology course at Griffith University in Australia were compared. The control cohort experienced traditional methods only, while members of the study cohort were also offered self-directed learning materials including online resources and online microscopy classes. Final assessments for the course were used to compare the differences in effectiveness of the intervention, and students’ satisfaction with the teaching format was evaluated using questionnaires. On the final course assessments, students in the study cohort had significantly higher scores than students in the control cohort (p<0.01). Analysis of questionnaire results showed improved student satisfaction with the course in the study cohort. These findings suggest that the use of e-learning tools such as virtual microscopy and interactive online resources for delivering pathology instruction can be an effective supplement for developing dental students’ competence, confidence, and satisfaction.
... These methods require much instructor/student interaction, have to take place in an educational laboratory under rigid schedules, and force learning at a fixed pace. Computer applications like 3D Tooth Atlas [14] and Morpho-Dent [15] have been developed recently to help resolve some of these problems. These applications allow observation of teeth morphology in 3D and user may also interact with these programs in selecting a particular tooth, observing particular features and rotating the selected tooth. ...
This paper describes the development and evaluation of an interactive educational program, Tooth Placement and Identification Coach (ToothPIC). The program uses a game-based learning paradigm and 3D visualization techniques to allow first year dentistry and hygiene students to get familiar with dental anatomy. It provides an interactive and stimulating learning tool for acquiring basic dental skills outside of the classroom. Specifically, it uses interactive 3D graphics to teach students to identify, name, number, align, and orient teeth into their proper location in the dental arch. ToothPIC incorporates elements of a game to make learning attractive for the student. In the process, the student learns not only about the 3D features of each tooth but also about the proper placement of the tooth relative to the gingiva and other teeth. ToothPIC has two modules: Module 1 includes 32 permanent upper and lower teeth that are to be identified and placed into the surrounding gingiva. Module 2 only shows the individual teeth, one at a time, to be identified (similar to a 'flash-card'). The evaluation results of ToothPIC indicate that students strongly agree that program meets its goals of self-training and self-evaluation, actively involves the students in learning and is a useful supplement to laboratory practices and lectures.
... e-Learning has proven its efficacy as a teaching method in various dental disciplines (Al-Jewair, Azarpazhooh, Suri, & Shah, 2009;Al-Jewair, Qutub, Malkhassian, & Dempster, 2010;Meckfessel et al., 2011;Mitov, Dillschneider, Abed, Hohenberg, & Pospiech, 2010;Rosenberg, Grad, & Matear, 2003;Tan, Hay, & Whaites, 2009). Its use has been described in the field of oral medicine as well (Jontell, Mattsson, & Torgersson, 2005;Porter et al., 1996). ...
This study presents the process of implementing an e-learning course for clinical education in oral medicine and examines its impact on students' knowledge and satisfaction. Thirty six (39.6%) fifth-year undergraduate students participated in the study. Every week before their clinical practice, students studied relevant e-learning materials and completed an assessment test. At the end of the semester, students' knowledge and attitudes towards elearning were assessed by the knowledge test and anonymous questionnaire. Students who had access to the e-learning course had significantly better knowledge than students who did not have access to the e-learning course. Exposure to the e-learning course contributed to a better understanding of oral medicine curriculum, increased confidence with oral medicine patients and easier participation in oral medicine clinical practice. This study provided evidence that the e-learning can be implemented as a valuable adjunct toclinical education in oral medicine.
... There was no statistical difference between carving grades between the two groups. According to the authors, students' learning needs may be best met by merging CAI with traditional laboratory teaching.Mitov et al.15 created a multimedia instrument, based upon virtual reality technologies, which allows the reproduction of real istic 3D anatomical models of human teeth via the Internet, thus providing dental students with a use ful tool supporting the traditional teaching of dental anatomy. For three semesters, the assessment module was applied as a test method in parallel with the traditional tooth anatomy exam. ...
Knowledge of tooth anatomy is essential to practicing the various dental specialties. All dental schools must have a
discipline responsible for teaching dental anatomy in their curriculum, in which theoretical content is conveyed to
students and later reproduced by them in dental carving wax. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether the
theoretical content taught in the Discipline of Dental Sculpture of the Department of Restorative Dentistry, School
of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, is related to the students’ performance in carving practice. For this purpose, 76
theoretical exams (planned on the location of the anatomical features of the maxillary left canine tooth), and 76 wax
sculptures (practical exam) were individually examined by two previously trained examiners for each trait. The data
were organized in tables according to the characteristic analyzed and the type of exam (theoretical or practical). The
chi-square test showed no statistically signifi cant difference between theoretical and practical exams (p ≥ 0.05). The
tooth structure that students most answered correctly in both exams was the cingulum (79%) and the greatest shortcoming of students in associating both exams was the location of the palatine cervical bulge (19%). The fi ndings are
based only on results of student performance with regard to the identifi cation and location of anatomical structures on
one anterior tooth. Considering the data obtained, it was concluded that it was not possible to observe a relationship
between the theoretical knowledge acquired by the students and their practical performance in tooth carving.
... [3] Although practical exercises are focused on training manual dexterity, these established methods reveal some weak points that can cause frustration for both students and faculty. [6,7] The goal of the preclinical dental curriculum is to provide students with well-rounded and balanced preclinical exposure to give them the basic knowledge and skills needed for competence in modern dental practice. [8] The preclinical operative dentistry requires long teaching hours, particularly laboratory exercises involving waxing procedure and laboratory preparation on extracted or artificial teeth. ...
Teaching dental anatomy includes observation and analysis of natural teeth and carving wax models to accurately reproduce the morphology of teeth. The aim of this survey was to assess the importance of tooth carving in its relevance to clinical practice in the opinion of practicing clinicians throughout west India.
Faculties of 27 dental colleges and dental practitioners of the Rajasthan and Gujarat states in western India were contacted through e-mail, telephone and mail. A total of 1866 subjects were contacted of which 1722 responded. The perceived relevance of tooth carving in clinical practice was assessed through a 14-item multiple choice questionnaire. Questions ranged from the queries of clinicians' interest in tooth carvings, their opinion of the practical significance of this exercise during their training to their clinical practice, and their recommendations regarding tooth carving.
A total of 69.1% of respondent practitioners believe that the tooth carving exercise influences their clinical practice, and 93.4% recommend tooth carving to be continued in the undergraduate dental curriculum.
The results indicated that most dentists in west India valued what they learned through tooth carving and that they use this knowledge in their practice. This information supports the continued teaching of tooth carving in the undergraduate dental curriculum.
... In recent years, both educators and clinicians have shown increasing interest in Visualization Technology (VT) for anatomy teaching and learning. A number of studies have described software programs (Mitov et al., 2010;Schmidt et al., 2011;Arora et al., 2012;Brown et al., 2012;Chariker et al., 2012;Tan et al., 2012) or have compare this technology to the other methods of teaching anatomy such as dissection, prosection, lectures, 2D images, living anatomy courses, plastination, and the combination of a range of approaches. Three dimensional VT (3DVT) in anatomy teaching includes 3D static images or photos, 3D animation, 3D movies, 3D interactive programs with controls to peel back tissue and bone revealing previously hidden layers, and 3D learning environments such as virtual reality (VR). ...
Many medical graduates are deficient in anatomy knowledge and perhaps below the standards for safe medical practice. Three-dimensional visualization technology (3DVT) has been advanced as a promising tool to enhance anatomy knowledge. The purpose of this review is to conduct a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of 3DVT in teaching and learning anatomy compared to all teaching methods. The primary outcomes were scores of anatomy knowledge tests expressed as factual or spatial knowledge percentage means. Secondary outcomes were perception scores of the learners. Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria including 28 (78%) randomized studies. Based on 2,226 participants including 2,128 from studies with comparison groups, 3DVTs (1) resulted in higher (d = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.02–0.62) factual knowledge, (2) yielded significant better results (d = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.20–0.80) in spatial knowledge acquisition, and (3) produced significant increase in user satisfaction (d = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.12–0.44) and in learners' perception of the effectiveness of the learning tool (d = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.14–0.43). The total mean scores (out of five) and ±SDs for QUESTS's Quality and Strength dimensions were 4.38 (±SD 1.3) and 3.3 (±SD 1.7), respectively. The results have high internal validity, for the improved outcomes of 3DVTs compared to other methods of anatomy teaching. Given that anatomy teaching and learning in the modern medical school appears to be approaching a crisis, 3DVT can be a potential solution to the problem of inadequate anatomy pedagogy. Anat Sci Educ. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.
Aim
To develop and evaluate a suitable software application for mobile devices designed for teaching root canal anatomy to undergraduate students in an informative and engaging manner.
Methodology
Extracted human teeth were scanned by μCT and digitized by converting into STL files. An extended reality (XR) application illustrating the root canal anatomy of the scanned teeth was developed. Prior to deployment, undergraduate dental students were voluntarily asked about their expectations regarding an educational application on tooth anatomy. After a testing phase of the application on a mobile device and within a virtual reality environment, a subsequent evaluation was conducted to assess their overall experience in relation to their initial expectations. Data were analysed using Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test and Mann‐Whitney U test. The level of significance was set to .05 ( p = .05).
Results
The application was able to meet the expectations of the students in all categories ( p < .466–.731). Furthermore, it was evaluated as user‐friendly (98.2%) and highly motivating for the purpose of learning more on root canal anatomy (100%).
Conclusion
Given the overwhelmingly positive reception from undergraduate dental students, the application emerges to be a promising supplementary teaching method for the endodontic curriculum.
Tooth morphology is a foundation course for all dental healthcare students including dentists, dental hygiene, dental therapy, and dental nursing students. This chapter explores the conventional and innovative teaching methods to deliver tooth morphology educational modules. The teaching tools are explored with a 2D and 3D lens, with a particular focus on visualization, student understanding, and engagement. Traditional methods of teaching tooth morphology must be complemented with innovative pedagogical approaches in order to maintain student’s attention and accommodate their diverse learning methods. Teaching 3D anatomy enables students to visualize and spatially comprehend the link between various anatomical components. Online tests and quizzes motivate students and are also beneficial in preparing students for exams. Online self-examinations offering visualization with 3D teeth enable students to evaluate their knowledge and offers immediate feedback, which aids in the long-term retention of information. These tools can be as efficient as other teaching methods, allowing the students to study at their own pace and with repetition. The authors conclude that blended and innovative teaching methods should supplement student learning and not replace, traditional face-to-face educational methods.KeywordsDigital teachingDigital divideTooth morphologyDental anatomy3D
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant restrictions on dental teaching. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty members towards digital teaching formats and the effort creating digital lectures. We hypothesized that on the lecturer side there is no difference between the various digital teaching concepts in terms of workload and effort and that there is no increase in workload and effort when switching to digital teaching concepts.
Methods: All German dental faculties were invited to the online survey by an anonymous voluntary questionnaire from January to April 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions that could be answered with a visual analog scale, free text answers, or with fixed answer options. Data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and an exploratory data analysis (α=0.05).
Results: Before the pandemic, 24.8% of the participating lecturers were using digital teaching and 64.4% had no previous experience. After the outbreak of the pandemic 100% of the dental teaching was initially held online. More than 80% of the lecturers stated that they offer online lectures (86.1%), online seminars (81.2%), and/or online bedside teaching (33.7%). 88.1% see face-to-face teaching as the preferred teaching format. The lecturers also see the greatest opportunities for interaction in the area of analog teaching and significantly worse in synchronous and asynchronous digital teaching. In the course of the pandemic, respondents' attitudes towards online teaching improved in the median of 24.0 to a median of 50.0.
Conclusions: Faculty members have positively changed their attitudes towards online teaching formats over the course of the pandemic. Although they see the greatest learning success in conventional face-to-face teaching formats and the creation of digital lectures is associated with a higher effort, they want more online lessons in the future.
Purpose/Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in students' preferences between soap carving (SC) and digital sculpting (DS) methods after obtaining tooth with both methods, their opinions about the methods and their performance in the dental anatomy course.
Materials and Methods
The SC and DS methods were demonstrated. Students were asked to obtain a maxillary central incisor by both methods and to record time. Students' preferences were asked both before and after applying both methods. The level of significance for statistical analysis was set at P≤ 0.05.
Results
40 first year preclinical students (24 female, 16 male) participated in this study. Their mean age was 19.38 years ±1.00 year. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean time of the DS method according to gender (P = 0.004) and the mean time of DS and SC methods for females (P = 0.015). There was also a statistically significant difference between preferences of students for “In the future while treating the patient in the clinic, I learned with ………… method in the preclinic will be more useful for me.” statement, before and after applying both methods (P=0.034).
Conclusions
The obtaining the tooth of the students with DS method were longer than with SC method (especially in the females). After applying both methods, the students changed their minds that learning the information about the SC and DS methods would have a similar effect when treating patients in the clinic.
OBJECTIVE: Dental wax carving exercise is a practical exercise to teach tooth morphology that develops psychomotor skills needed to practice clinical dentistry. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of dental wax carving as a teaching modality for tooth morphology and its assessment.
METHODOLOGY: Forty-two first-year dental students were randomly divided into two groups participated in this study from February 2019 till September 2019 at Bahria University Medical & Dental College. Learning resources related to dental wax carving were provided to the first group of 21 students while the second group of 21 students received practical demonstration. The students self-evaluated their dental carving based on a standardized checklist and two examiners then evaluated the dental wax carvings randomly. A student satisfaction survey was performed at the end of this study to gain feedback regarding the dental wax carving as a teaching methodology.
RESULTS: The mean scores given by self-assessment of students were significantly higher than those given by the examiners to both the groups. The group that was given a live demonstration of dental carving scored higher than the self-directed learners. Overall student feedback regarding dental carving was uniformly positive.
CONCLUSION: Dental carving skills develop manual dexterity and psychomotor skills for practicing clinical dentistry and should be an integral component of preclinical dental curriculum so that clinically relevant cognitive & psychomotor skills are incorporated. Based on this study, a live demonstration of dental wax carving skills should be the preferred teaching modality.
The aim of this systematic review was to investigate current penetration and educational quality enhancements from digitalization in the dental curriculum. Using a modified PICO strategy, the literature was searched using PubMed supplemented with a manual search to identify English-language articles published between 1994 and 2020 that reported the use of digital techniques in dental education. A total of 211 articles were identified by electronic search, of which 55 articles were selected for inclusion and supplemented with 27 additional publications retrieved by manual search, resulting in 82 studies that were included in the review. Publications were categorized into five areas of digital dental education: Web-based knowledge transfer and e-learning, digital surface mapping, dental simulator motor skills (including intraoral optical scanning), digital radiography, and surveys related to the penetration and acceptance of digital education. This review demonstrates that digitalization offers great potential to revolutionize dental education to help prepare future dentists for their daily practice. More interactive and intuitive e-learning possibilities will arise to stimulate an enjoyable and meaningful educational experience with 24/7 facilities. Augmented and virtual reality technology will likely play a dominant role in the future of dental education.
Introduction
The present report outlines a method of teaching/learning tooth morphology by tooth identification puzzle.
Materials and Methods
Students are presented with sets of extracted human teeth comprising complete dentitions except deciduous incisors and canines. The task is to place the teeth in correct positions in a schematic dentition diagram. The course, including 2‐3 introductory lectures and a final test of one hour, has a time frame of 14‐16 hours. A total of 506 2nd year students from several years participated.
Results
The course is much appreciated by the students who experience a marked progress in skills. In the final test, 51.8% of the students had no faults, while 3% failed (more than 12 faults). The average number of faults per student was 2.3. Of the 20,240 positioned teeth 5.7% were misplaced. The most frequently misplaced teeth were mandibular central incisors, maxillary second premolars, and mandibular first premolars. The most common type of fault was in side determination.
Discussion
The course is cost‐effective and facilitates learning through its multifaceted activity with involvement of many senses. An important asset is the appreciation of variations in tooth morphology. The course provides an arena for close and positive interaction between students and teachers.
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Advances in information and communication technology continually offer innovations to assist faculty in their efforts to help students learn new information or develop new skills. However, faculty members are often hesitant to incorporate these innovations into their courses out of fear that these new methods may not provide the anticipated outcomes. Hence, students are often the subjects of educational trials to evaluate curriculum innovations by comparing a new teaching/learning method to traditional lecture-based instruction. The most typical finding is that students can learn equally well by either method. However, two questions that have not been studied extensively in dental education are whether dental students will actually use computer-based educational resources made available to them and whether students perceive these materials to provide a value-added learning experience. Accordingly, the goals of this study were to determine whether first-year dental students (D1), second-year dental students (D2), and third-year dental students (D3) would 1) use an interactive tooth atlas, available on a DVD, as a study aid and 2) perceive that the atlas provided sufficient value-added benefit for their dental anatomy (D1), preclinical laboratory endodontics (D2), and clinical endodontics (D3) courses to recommend adding it to their school's comprehensive electronic resources. A low percentage of the students (14 percent; 40/289) voluntarily downloaded the atlas from a DVD to their laptops prior to the addition of incentives in the form of atlas-related examination questions. Even after incentives were added, only 43 percent of the students (126/289) downloaded the DVD. After using the atlas, students responded to the statement "Using the 3D Interactive Tooth Atlas was beneficial for me" on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 representing strongly disagree, 5 representing unsure, and 10 representing strongly agree. The mean rankings were 5.34 for D1s, 6.79 for D2s, and 7.28 for D3s. Students also responded to the statement "The atlas should be added to our school's VitalBook" (digital library of curriculum materials). The mean rankings for this statement, using the same 0-10 scale, were 5.15 for the D1s, 6.63 for the D2s, and 7.26 for the D3s. Based upon these findings, the course directors decided not to add this atlas to the students' electronic resources.
Structural biology is a basic medical science dedicated to understanding the function of the body in terms of its three-dimensional organization. Since both normal and abnormal function are fundamentally determined by structure a knowledge base of structural biology should lead to causally-based problem-solving modules in basic science and clinical medicine. Such a knowledge base, and the associated knowledge-based systems, will be large and will need to be developed and coordinated through many research groups. We describe a distributed framework for allowing such sharing to take place, in which individual modules running on widely scattered and diverse machines are made available as knowledge and data servers communicating via remote procedure calls or similar mechanisms. We also describe potential modules for structural biology and present results from our current modules for computing three-dimensional anatomic reconstructions from serial sections.
This paper describes the findings of a literature review conducted on the current usage, lessons, and limitations of e-learning for undergraduate medical education with an emphasis on synchronous delivery in the first 2 years. The review was conducted as part of an initiative to expand the UBC undergraduate medical program in British Columbia, Canada. The 50 e-learning articles included in the review described the deployment of various types of e-learning technology and content in different settings. The seven videoconferencing articles provided product information, health education examples, and innovative approaches. The six review articles provided general guidelines and trends on e-learning in undergraduate medical education in United States and Europe. Overall, while the literature is informative, there are few reported studies that address distributed synchronous learning in these undergraduate programs.
Tooth Morphology is a computer-assisted learning program designed to teach the anatomy of the adult dentition. The purpose of this study was to test whether Tooth Morphology could teach dental anatomy to first-year dental students as well as the traditional lecture. A randomized controlled trial was performed with forty-five first-year dental students. The students were randomly assigned to either the Tooth Morphology group (n=23), which used the computer-assisted learning program and did not attend lecture, or the lecture group (n=22), which attended the traditional lecture and did not use Tooth Morphology. The Tooth Morphology group had a final exam average of 90.0 (standard deviation=5.2), and the lecture group had a final exam average of 90.9 (sd=5.3). Analysis showed that the two groups' scores were statistically equivalent (p<0.05), with a priori equivalence bounds around the difference between the groups set at +/-5 points. It was concluded that Tooth Morphology taught the anatomy of the adult dentition as well as traditional lecture, as measured by exams. Based on the results of this study and student feedback, Tooth Morphology, in combination with interactive class meetings, has replaced the traditional dental anatomy lectures.
Many three-dimensional (3D) images are routinely collected in biomedical research and a number of digital atlases with associated anatomical and other information have been published. A number of tools are available for viewing this data ranging from commercial visualization packages to freely available, typically system architecture dependent, solutions. Here we discuss an atlas viewer implemented to run on any workstation using the architecture neutral Java programming language.
We report the development of a freely available Java based viewer for 3D image data, descibe the structure and functionality of the viewer and how automated tools can be developed to manage the Java Native Interface code. The viewer allows arbitrary re-sectioning of the data and interactive browsing through the volume. With appropriately formatted data, for example as provided for the Electronic Atlas of the Developing Human Brain, a 3D surface view and anatomical browsing is available. The interface is developed in Java with Java3D providing the 3D rendering. For efficiency the image data is manipulated using the Woolz image-processing library provided as a dynamically linked module for each machine architecture.
We conclude that Java provides an appropriate environment for efficient development of these tools and techniques exist to allow computationally efficient image-processing libraries to be integrated relatively easily.
The purpose of this report is to present educational material that would allow the dental student to learn to easily identify the morphologic characteristics of permanent teeth, and how they fit together (occlusion). In order to do this, macro models of permanent teeth with no attrition were carved in wax and later molded with alginate. These molds were filled with plaster, dental stone and/or cold-cured acrylic resin. The large individual dental stone tooth models were mounted on a wax base, thus obtaining maxillary and mandibular arches which were occluded. These dental arches were molded with plaster or dental stone. The authors suggest that these types of macro models allow an excellent visualization of the morphologic characteristics of permanent teeth and occlusion. Dental students are able to carve the permanent dentition in wax with great facility when they can observe macro models.
With the growing awareness of the importance of teaching and learning in universities and the need to move towards evidence-based teaching, it behooves the professions to re-examine their educational research methodology. While the what, how and why of student learning have become more explicit, the professions still struggle to find valid methods of evaluating the explosion of new innovation in teaching/learning strategies. This paper discusses the problems inherent in applying traditional experimental design techniques to advances in educational practice.
Reflective learning is the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self, and which results in a changed conceptual perspective. We suggest that this process is central to understanding the experiential learning process. In this article, we describe the process of reflective learning as identified through analysis of three distinct sets of data, including sequential interviews, single interviews, and written questionnaires, using three separate samples. The sequential interviews revealed a pattern of becoming aware of one's own reflective learning patterns and deciding to use them consciously. Then, the six stages in the reflective learning process are abstracted and described. Implications of the process for personal change and growth, for facilitating learning from experience and changing perspectives, and for further research are also discussed.
Presents a plenary presentation from the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) which calls for properly designed, controlled trials and systematic reviews of the effects of teaching and learning methods in order to make informed decisions about teaching practices. (Author/CCM)
Computer programs have been developed for removable partial denture (RPD) design, but their educational impact has never been investigated. This study measured the effectiveness of computer-based RPD design simulations in a traditional RPD design course for second-year dental students.
Thirty-six students were randomly assigned to four groups, two simulation and two control groups, at the beginning of the RPD design module. A cross-over design compared the two strategies during laboratory exercises. First, the simulation group worked with the simulation, while the control group met in small-group seminars with faculty. Post-test 1 was given, and then students switched teaching methods and post-test 2 was given. Each post-test had two parts. Part 1 involved designing an RPD based on specific patient criteria. Part 2 involved choosing the more correct of the two designs.
Results showed a significant difference (p = .0072) in two of four test groups. Although it was an initial evaluation, the computer simulation was shown to be equivalent to faculty-led small-group seminars. Students also responded positively to a questionnaire on their perceived effectiveness of the simulations.
The results suggest that RPD design can be taught as effectively with computer-based simulations as with faculty-led seminars.
With the growing awareness of the importance of teaching and learning in universities and the need to move towards evidence-based teaching, it behooves the professions to re-examine their educational research methodology. While the what, how and why of student learning have become more explicit, the professions still struggle to find valid methods of evaluating the explosion of new innovation in teaching/learning strategies. This paper discusses the problems inherent in applying traditional experimental design techniques to advances in educational practice
Integrated learning modules were introduced and baseline information was collected, in order to identify the expectations regarding e-learning. Furthermore, first formative evaluation of fourth-year dental students was conducted and the experience gained with summative online assessment was reported.
Questionnaires designed by Infratest dimap (Berlin, Germany) were distributed to undergraduate students (n = 72) of the School of Dentistry. The fourth-year dental students went through a preliminary evaluation process. An online test was evaluated and compared with a traditional examination.
Sixty-three questionnaires were returned. Sixty-five per cent of the students were already familiar with e-learning. All but one student owned at least one personal computer or laptop. Ninety-one per cent of the students expected positive effects from the integration of online modules. Enhanced flexibility regarding time and location as well as comfortable access to learning materials were mentioned most frequently. Ninety per cent of the students expected to achieve better results by finding it easier to understand learning materials produced with multimedia tools. Sixty per cent of the students feared technical complications when using an online platform. The online test was successfully performed. A formative evaluation process demonstrated agreement between expectations and first experiences with e-learning.
Most students expect the quality of their studies to improve by implementation of e-learning. Students appreciating regularly updated learning materials particularly emphasise the importance of its visualisation. Online tests might be an option for student's self-performance rating.
A description of a simple replacement wax carving method for the teaching of dental morphology is presented. It has the potential of diverse usage as a laboratory exercise in other disciplines in dentistry. The simple, clear and fast methodology is extremely time-saving and is very well accepted by the dental student. Following this technique, which concentrates on tooth morphology and the skills of wax manipulation, the student will proceed to his future function-orientated exercises.
The purpose of anatomy education is to develop the skills for anatomical reasoning, which is a requirement for performing a number of clinical tasks. Anatomical reasoning integrates an understanding of the three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of the body and its parts (the spatial domain of anatomical information) with an understanding of functional, developmental, pathological, and other relationships among anatomic entities (the symbolic domain of anatomical information). Traditional methods in anatomy have substantial shortcomings for representing and integrating these two information domains. Computer-based methods of knowledge representation have a great potential for overcoming the shortcomings and for promoting anatomical reasoning. To realize this potential, there is a need for (1) establishing 3-D electronic atlases of the human body; (2) generating models of symbolic anatomical information, and (3) developing computer programs (user interfaces) that integrate these knowledge sources and serve the needs of trainees and practitioners in different fields of the health sciences. The Digital Anatomist Program at the University of Washington has begun to build such a client-server framework for anatomical information, and its application for biomedical education is being evaluated.
The authors determined to what extent a computer-based program could enhance or substitute for cadaver dissection in teaching cardiac anatomy to first-year medical students.
First-year medical students (n = 175) were randomized into four groups. Group 1 (control) received no instruction, group 2 participated in cardiac dissection, group 3 viewed the computer application, and group 4 performed cardiac dissection and then viewed the computer application. Each group was tested with 10 ultrafast computed tomographic static images and 8 cardiac cadaver specimens.
The computer program plus dissection was superior to either the computer program alone or dissection alone; however, the results varied according to the subtest used to assess the outcomes.
Cardiac computer instruction after dissection resulted in dramatically improved image testing performance. However, computer instruction should not replace dissection for teaching cardiac anatomy.
The increasing number of geriatric dental patients and the development of treatment plans that require consideration of complex psychosocial, socioeconomic, and medical/medication factors necessitates a change in the traditional teaching of treatment planning. A computer-assisted instructional program was developed to simulate the dentist-geriatric patient interaction and to train students in clinical decision making for the geriatric patient. This study compared the effects of this program with a more traditional approach based on readings from the geriatric dentistry literature. Twenty third-year dental students were matched on grade point average and randomly assigned to the computer or literature-based groups. They were pretested using a clinical analogue of a geriatric patient and then instructed to use either the computer or literature-based educational units. The students were then post-tested on a second clinical analogue. Students performed similarly at pretest. At post-test, both the computer and literature-based subjects were found to have acquired significantly greater evaluation points, to make fewer errors, and to design more involved treatment plans than at pretest. Comparison of computer and literature-based subjects' performance revealed no significant main or interaction effects regarding type of educational unit used. Consistent nonsignificant trends were noted with the computer-based subjects out-performing literature-based subjects on each outcome variable. In addition, the computer-based subjects had more positive feelings about the educational unit than the literature-based subjects at a statistically significant level. These findings suggest that the computer program is an effective alternative method for developing clinical decision skills in students treating geriatric patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This study examined the use of an interactive computer classroom (ICC) compared with a traditional lecture/discussion format (LD) for a nursing management course taught from fall semester 1994 through fall semester 1996. The ICC was structured around a group systems support software, a tool previously used in business settings for group decision-making activities. Structured learning activities allowed all students to participate simultaneously and anonymously. Data were collected during the second and final semesters of the study. The outcomes included academic performance, measured by course exams; class participation, measured by direct observation; and attendance records. The control group was a concurrent management course taught with the same objectives and evaluated by identical examinations. The examination scores and the frequency of class participation of the ICC group were significantly higher than those measures of the LD group. There was no significant difference in class attendance. Evaluation forms with open-ended questions were completed by the ICC students and revealed that the students believed that the process enhanced application and understanding. The negative aspects of the ICC experience were the need for increased preparation time for faculty and the students' lack of tolerance when technical difficulties caused delays.
We are happy to present the following article as a resource for readers developing or refining online courses. Much work remains to be done to identify and evaluate the relative merits of potential theoretical models for online nutrition instruction. Progress will depend on finding ways to conduct objective appraisals of theory-driven courses in university settings, where randomization is often impossible and courses are often refined in real time to meet students' immediate needs or to take advantage of rapidly evolving technology. Meanwhile, we hope that the concepts and observations described in this Special Article stimulate consideration of the motivational aspects of online courses in practice, research, and institutional policy making.
Human developmental anatomy has been organized as structured lists of the major constituent tissues present during each of Carnegie stages 1-20 (E1-E50, approximately 8500 anatomically defined tissue items). For each of these stages, the tissues have been organized as a hierarchy in which an individual tissue is catalogued as part of a larger tissue. Such a formal representation of knowledge is known as an ontology and this anatomical ontology can be used in databases to store, organize and search for data associated with the tissues present at each developmental stage. The anatomical data for compiling these hierarchies comes from the literature, from observations on embryos in the Patten Collection (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) and from comparisons with mouse tissues at similar stages of development. The ontology is available in three versions. The first gives hierarchies of the named tissues present at each Carnegie stage (http://www.ana.ed.ac.uk/anatomy/database/humat/) and is intended to help analyse both normal and abnormal human embryos; it carries hyperlinked notes on some ambiguities in the literature that have been clarified through analysing sectioned material. The second contains many additional subsidiary tissue domains and is intended for handling tissue-associated data (e.g. gene-expression) in a database. This version is available at the humat site and at http://genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk/Resources/intro.html/), and has been designed to be interoperable with the ontology for mouse developmental anatomy, also available at the genex site. The third gives the second version in GO ontology syntax (with standard IDs for each tissue) and can be downloaded from both the genex and the Open Biological Ontology sites (http://obo.sourceforge.net/).
To investigate the effects of a virtual learning environment (VLE) on group interaction and consultation of information resources during the preliminary phase, self-study phase and reporting phase of the problem-based learning process in an undergraduate medical curriculum.
A questionnaire was administered to 355 medical students in Years 1 and 2 to ask them about the perceived usefulness of a virtual learning environment that was created with Blackboard for group interaction and the use of learning resources.
The students indicated that the VLE supported face-to-face interaction in the preliminary discussion and in the reporting phase but did not stimulate computer-mediated distance interaction during the self-study phase. They perceived that the use of multimedia in case presentations led to a better quality of group discussion than if case presentations were exclusively text-based. They also indicated that the information resources that were hyperlinked in the VLE stimulated the consultation of these resources during self-study, but not during the reporting phase.
Students indicated that the use of a VLE in the tutorial room and the inclusion of multimedia in case presentations supported processes of active learning in the tutorial groups. However, if we want to exploit the full potential of asynchronous computer-mediated communication to initiate in-depth discussion during the self-study phase, its application will have to be selective and deliberate. Students indicated that the links in the VLE to selected information in library repositories supported their learning.
The Internet has been used in oral surgery teaching mainly to deliver learning material across the World Wide Web and to make use of online interactivity resources in everyday surgical practice, such as by e-mails, discussion groups, and chats. The aim of this paper is to describe and evaluate a Web-based practical course on oral surgery principles, which was applied to undergraduate students. This course was investigated as a distance learning simulation in which the student would be performing surgical activities at home, and the teacher and the school environment would be absent. A Web site was created containing the course material. For this study, the students participated in the Web-based course in a multimedia lab equipped with computers and Internet, internal sound system and TV circuits. In the event of significant mistakes by students, the TV circuit could be used to show the correct procedure for all the participants at the same time. Microcameras were used to monitor the student's actions during the Internet use. Students' impressions were determined by a questionnaire. Computer manipulation with ease and antiergonomic postures were observed. We concluded that distance learning courses with practical modules must be considered as a special type of educational modality, with reference to the relationship between the student and the computer.
The rapid growth of Internet for the delivery of information has enabled teaching materials to be placed on websites allowing student access to course material. It is the aim of this paper to evaluate a cohort of dental undergraduate students who have used Web-based courseware in prosthetic dentistry for a semester. A questionnaire was distributed to clinical undergraduate students prior to the use of the prosthetics course to determine their experience of using the World Wide Web (WWW) and their expectations of an online course. A second questionnaire was distributed at the end of 6 months which asked about their usage and opinions of the prosthetics Web-based courseware. The main concerns raised at the beginning of the course were related to computer access, the ability to use computers, the time involved and their conception that the e-course would be an additional burden. The main potential benefits were perceived to be convenience, availability of information and the ability to reinforce or catch up on aspects of the module they did not understand or had missed. Feedback at the end of the year showed that most students had accessed the Web-based courseware site at least once a month and, generally, their comments were favourable, dispelling some of the initial perceived fears. They felt that the website was a quick and convenient way to access information and was a good additional resource. Access to the site and printing information were the main problems raised by the students who had to use a shared cluster. In conclusion, Web-based courseware was felt to be a useful additional resource for students. However, this research showed that sufficient computers and printers must be available for such a resource to become an integrated part of the dental course.