Simulation-Based Training in Dental Radiography: The Impact of Qbion Software on Learning Outcomes for Dentistry...

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Medical Education
• Radiology

Background:

• Improving radiographic imaging quality is essential to minimize patient radiation exposure from repeat X-rays.
• Accurate patient positioning is critical for error-free extraoral radiographs.
• Radiological simulation offers a radiation-free training environment for dental students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Qbion radiological simulation software in improving dental students' ability to identify positioning errors in panoramic radiographs.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of students trained with and without the Qbion software.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 98 dental students, divided into a control group (radiography course only) and a study group (radiography course plus Qbion training).
• Students answered 13 multiple-choice questions identifying errors in 12 panoramic radiographs and the reasons for these technical errors.
• Results were analyzed descriptively to compare the performance of the two groups.

Main Results:

• 80.6% of students correctly identified a well-taken panoramic X-ray, with 55.7% of these being from the Qbion group.
• Asymmetrical patient positioning was the most frequently identified error (79.6%).
• Student accuracy decreased as the difficulty of identifying positioning errors increased.

Conclusions:

• The Qbion software significantly enhanced students' accuracy in recognizing radiographic errors, indicating its value in skill development.
• Integrating simulation tools like Qbion improves dental students' learning outcomes in radiography.
• Further research with larger cohorts is recommended to confirm these findings.