Effectiveness of Hybrid Problem-Based Learning in Oral Medicine and Radiology: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Pedagogy

Background:

• Traditional lecture-based learning may not fully optimize critical thinking and knowledge retention in dental students.
• Innovative teaching methods are needed to enhance engagement and clinical reasoning skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) in undergraduate dental education.
• To compare hybrid PBL with lecture-based learning in oral medicine and radiology.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involving 80 Bachelor of Dental Surgery students.
• Comparison between a hybrid PBL group (n=40) and a lecture-based group (n=40).
• Assessments included knowledge retention tests, Clinical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT), internal assessments, and student engagement surveys.

Main Results:

• Hybrid PBL group showed significantly higher scores in immediate and delayed knowledge retention tests (p<0.001).
• Hybrid PBL led to significantly higher critical thinking scores (CAT) (p<0.001).
• Student engagement and internal assessment scores were significantly higher in the hybrid PBL group (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Hybrid PBL is a superior teaching strategy compared to traditional lectures for dental education.
• Hybrid PBL effectively enhances knowledge retention, critical thinking, academic performance, and student engagement.
• Integration of hybrid PBL is recommended for oral medicine and radiology curricula to optimize learning.