Teaching Occlusal Splints in the Digital Age: Comparing Student Experiences With Conventional and CAD/CAM Workflows

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Digital Dentistry
• Prosthodontics

Background:

• Dental education is integrating digital workflows for occlusal splint therapy.
• Conventional methods remain pedagogically valuable.
• Understanding student perceptions is key for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate undergraduate dental students' perceptions of conventional versus digital occlusal splint fabrication workflows.
• Analyze the educational benefits and limitations of each method.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods study with 24 dental students fabricating occlusal splints using both workflows.
• Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, Bland-Altman plots, and ICCs.
• Qualitative analysis involved lexical analysis and word clouds.

Main Results:

• Digital workflows scored significantly higher for ease of fabrication (9.0 vs. 4.0).
• Satisfaction with outcomes was similar (9.0 vs. 8.6).
• Digital workflows were recommended more often (9.6 vs. 6.0) and associated with efficiency; conventional methods with learning.

Conclusions:

• Digital workflows improve efficiency and student reception in occlusal splint fabrication.
• Conventional methods are crucial for developing technical skills.
• A blended learning model is advised for modern dental clinical education.