Seeing is believing: dental education benefits from developments in videoconferencing

Videoconferencing has been widely used to provide distant advice in many healthcare specialties across the world. However, videoconferencing has been further extended to support distance learning and has been evaluated through a number of educational projects. The use of the technology has been integrated as a core method of delivering training and education at all levels in dentistry. Advances in systems, services and standards have produced equipment and telecommunications links that are user-friendly, reliable, affordable and offer better quality image resolution. In addition, a wide range of peripheral devices can be connected to basic videoconferencing equipment to introduce a variety of teaching aids and material into a session. Projects such as PROVIDENT (Postgraduate Regional Online Videoconferencing in Dentistry) and DUET (Dental Undergraduate Education by Teleconferencing) have demonstrated that videoconferencing teaching sessions are as effective as traditional face-to-face lectures in both on-campus and off-campus teaching and reduce travel time and costs for both tutors and students. This paper describes how videoconferencing systems and services have developed and their benefits and applications in dentistry. It then goes on to describe the PROVIDENT and DUET projects as case studies.