Student performance in a flipped classroom dental anatomy course

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Pedagogical Research
• Anatomy Instruction

Background:

• Traditional lecture formats are common in dental anatomy education.
• Exploring innovative teaching methods is crucial for enhancing student learning outcomes.
• The flipped classroom model offers a potential alternative to traditional didactic instruction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare dental student learning in a dental anatomy module using a traditional lecture versus a flipped classroom approach.
• To evaluate the impact of pedagogical strategies on student performance in preclinical dental exercises and course examinations.

Main Methods:

• Two cohorts of predoctoral dental students (N=70 each) participated.
• One cohort experienced traditional lectures; the other used a flipped classroom model.
• Assessments included preclinical tooth waxing exercises and tooth identification, plus the overall course examination.

Main Results:

• The flipped classroom cohort achieved significantly higher scores on immediate preclinical tooth waxing exercises.
• No significant differences were observed in tooth identification scores or overall course examination performance between the two cohorts.
• Similar end-of-course performance suggests ample review time mitigated initial learning differences.

Conclusions:

• The flipped classroom model enhances immediate learning and performance in specific dental anatomy tasks.
• Pedagogical shifts require careful implementation and evaluation to ensure educational success.
• While beneficial for certain assessments, the flipped classroom's impact on comprehensive course outcomes needs further investigation.