New Virtual Reality Educational Tool for Evaluating Dental Mirror Technique Skills: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Surgical Simulation

Background:

• Effective training for dental mirror use is limited due to image distortion based on operator position.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers a potential solution for standardized dental mirror training.
• A novel VR system was developed to address these training limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a new virtual reality (VR) system for dental mirror (DM) manipulation training.
• To quantitatively assess DM manipulation skills in dental professionals with varying experience levels.
• To explore the potential of VR as an objective feedback tool in dental education.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-seven participants (instructors, graduate students, trainees, dental students) used a VR system with a head-mounted display (HMD) and 3D controls.
• Participants simulated intraoral examinations and caries removal using a virtual dental mirror (DM).
• Objective metrics including distance, area ratio, ellipticity, and manipulation time were recorded and compared.

Main Results:

• Instructor dentists showed significantly better performance across all evaluated metrics compared to students.
• A statistically significant difference was observed in the mean distance between DM center and caries (1.18 mm for instructors vs. 1.56 mm for students, p=0.003).
• Clinical experience was identified as a key factor influencing DM manipulation proficiency.

Conclusions:

• The developed VR system provides quantitative and objective evaluation of dental mirror manipulation.
• Operator's clinical experience significantly impacts virtual dental mirror technique and mirror image interpretation.
• This VR system has the potential to become a valuable, unprecedented training tool for dental students and trainees, offering quantitative feedback.