Testing an Educational Resource for Implementation in Temporomandibular Disorders Curriculum Through a Phase I Define...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Simulation
• Digital Health

Background:

• Predoctoral dental education often lacks sufficient clinical exposure to temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases.
• Virtual patient-based learning (VPBL) offers a potential solution to supplement traditional clinical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a VPBL platform as an educational tool for TMD in predoctoral dental students.
• To evaluate student perceptions of the platform's usability, appropriateness, and burden.

Main Methods:

• A VPBL platform with 15 virtual patients based on Diagnostic Criteria for TMD was developed.
• Two cohorts of third- and fourth-year dental students (n=40 total) evaluated the platform using Likert scales and qualitative interviews.
• The platform was iteratively refined based on feedback from the first cohort before re-piloting with the second cohort.

Main Results:

• Initial pilot (Cohort 1) showed high ratings for acceptability (4.4/5), appropriateness (4.4/5), and feasibility (4.2/5).
• After adjustments (Cohort 2), the VPBL platform received significantly higher scores in acceptability (4.8/5), appropriateness (4.7/5), feasibility (4.7/5), and usability (83.6/100), with reduced difficulty of use.
• All user-reported metrics showed significant improvement (p<0.05) after platform modification.

Conclusions:

• The VPBL platform is a feasible and effective educational tool for integrating into dental curricula for TMD training.
• Phase I data support further validation of the VPBL platform through larger-scale studies.
• VPBL can enhance dental students' learning experiences with TMD cases.