Effectiveness of Innovative Teaching Methods Versus Traditional Lectures in Dental Education: A Systematic Review and...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Pedagogy
• Higher Education

Background:

• Traditional lecture-based instruction is prevalent in dental education.
• Innovative pedagogical approaches are increasingly adopted globally.
• Comparative effectiveness of these new methods remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the impact of innovative teaching strategies on dental students' knowledge, competencies, and satisfaction.
• To compare innovative pedagogical frameworks against traditional lecture-based instruction in dental curricula.
• To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of various innovative methods like flipped classrooms, problem-based learning, and simulation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library) from 2000 to 2025.
• Inclusion of randomized controlled, quasi-experimental, and cross-sectional studies following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• Quality appraisal using RoB 2, ROBINS-I, and JBI tools for eligible studies.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 61 studies (8742 students from 23 nations), with 31 undergoing quantitative synthesis.
• Innovative approaches showed a significant moderate effect on student performance (SMD = 0.42, p < 0.001) with high heterogeneity (I² = 83%).
• Simulation, flipped classrooms, and blended learning yielded the greatest performance gains and improved satisfaction; digital learning offered flexibility but required technical support.

Conclusions:

• Innovative teaching strategies offer a moderate improvement in dental students' academic performance and overall satisfaction.
• Specific innovative methods like simulation and flipped classrooms are particularly effective.
• Further research may be needed to address heterogeneity and optimize digital learning integration.