Student Perception and Performance in Using Digital Surveying for Removable Partial Denture Design: A Pilot Study

Despite the growing use of digital technologies in clinical dentistry, traditional methods for designing removable partial dentures (RPDs) still dominate undergraduate education, potentially limiting students' readiness to adopt digital workflows. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the learning experience and performance of dental students in using a digital surveying tool for designing RPDs.

A paired comparative design study was conducted with fourth-year undergraduate students, who were divided into two groups: Group 1, which used digital surveying, and Group 2, which used conventional surveying to design an RPD. Blinded assessors evaluated the denture designs, while participants completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of digital surveying. Performance differences between the two groups were analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test.

Of 58 invited students, 50 participated, yielding an 86.2% response rate. The participants generally found digital surveying somewhat challenging to learn as beginners. In contrast, 72.0% and 74.0% of students reported that identifying the undercuts on the abutment teeth and determining the most desirable path of insertion were easier with the digital than with the conventional surveyor, respectively. RPD designs created by students using digital and conventional surveyors were deemed clinically acceptable for 68.0% and 64.0% of participants, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05).

Digital surveying is a promising and effective alternative to conventional surveying, providing similar educational benefits, while introducing students to essential digital tools. No significant difference was observed in students' RPD design performance between the digital and conventional surveying methods.