Impact of Virtual Patient-Based Learning on Temporomandibular Disorder Knowledge Among Dental Students: A Pre-Post...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Simulation
• Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)

Background:

• Dental students often lack confidence and competence in managing Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) due to limited clinical exposure during predoctoral training.
• Virtual patient-based learning (VPBL) offers a potential avenue to enhance experiential learning in dentistry.
• The impact of VPBL on clinically relevant educational outcomes for TMD remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a TMD-specific VPBL educational intervention.
• To assess improvements in dental students' diagnostic and management performance in TMD.
• To measure changes in self-perceived confidence and knowledge regarding TMD.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental pre-post study involving 83 fourth-year dental students.
• Students completed Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)-style case scenarios before and after reviewing 15 TMD virtual patient cases.
• Performance, confidence, and knowledge were assessed using standardized rubrics and scales.

Main Results:

• Overall performance in TMD diagnosis and management significantly improved post-intervention (p < 0.001).
• Self-perceived knowledge regarding TMD also increased significantly (p < 0.001).
• Moderate confidence in TMD skills correlated positively with post-intervention knowledge (r = 0.70, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• A TMD-specific VPBL intervention demonstrably enhances dental students' diagnostic and management skills.
• VPBL is a valuable educational strategy for improving predoctoral TMD curricula.
• The findings support the integration of VPBL to bolster dental education in managing complex conditions like TMD.