Enhancing Psychomotor Skills and Educational Engagement in Endodontic Microsurgery Through Virtual Reality with...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• Traditional dental preclinical training often lacks anatomical realism and individualized skill development opportunities.
• Virtual reality (VR) and haptic technology offer potential for enhanced technical skills and engagement in dental education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate psychomotor skill acquisition in endodontic microsurgery using VR simulation.
• To assess the subjective experience of undergraduate dental students and expert clinicians with VR-based surgical training.

Main Methods:

• Development of two VR exercises (osteotomy, apicoectomy) using CBCT-derived models and Virteasy Dental V2 simulators.
• A four-week training program involving 20 undergraduate students and 20 expert operators.
• Assessment via a two-part questionnaire on prior VR exposure and learning experience perception.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in accuracy and target progress for students in osteotomy, and accuracy in apicoectomy (p < 0.05).
• Experts demonstrated improved simulator performance, indicating adaptation to the VR environment.
• Participants reported high engagement, valued the risk-free practice, and preferred VR simulations over traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• VR simulation is a viable tool for enhancing psychomotor skills in endodontic microsurgery due to its realism and immersive nature.
• Students gained confidence and skills through safe virtual practice, highlighting VR's role in augmenting preclinical training.
• The study supports integrating VR simulations into dental curricula to complement traditional methods and improve learning outcomes.