Creating virtual 3-dimensional models for teaching pre-clinical tooth preparation: Students' usages and perceptions

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Technology
• 3D Modeling

Background:

• Smartphones are prevalent among dental students.
• Traditional methods for teaching tooth preparation may have limitations.
• Integrating technology can enhance pre-clinical dental education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess dental students' smartphone usage in general dental education.
• To evaluate student perceptions of using smartphones for learning tooth preparation with virtual 3D models.
• To explore the role of these technologies in the pre-clinical removable partial denture course.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to second-year dental students.
• Investigated demographic information, general smartphone usage, and perceptions of smartphone use in dental education (construct 1) and virtual 3D models (construct 2).
• Statistical analyses included Kruskal-Wallis, Fisher's exact test, Pearson correlation, t-tests, and ANOVA to compare responses with demographic and educational backgrounds.

Main Results:

• 90 students participated (75% response rate); all owned smartphones.
• Over 73% of students agreed on smartphone use in pre-clinical dental education, but only 49% in clinical settings.
• More than 73% of students who viewed the 48 virtual 3D models found them beneficial for pre-clinical tooth preparation learning.
• Student demographics did not significantly influence general smartphone usage or perceptions of constructs 1 and 2.

Conclusions:

• High smartphone ownership and usage were observed among surveyed dental students.
• Individually designed virtual 3D instructional models were positively received as supplemental pre-clinical teaching tools.
• The findings suggest potential for integrating smartphones and 3D models to enhance dental education.