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TRIVIAL DENTAL: A Serious Board Game for Knowledge Consolidation in Dental Students Transitioning to Clinical
Vanessa-Tévy Hansotte1, Olivier Charleux1, Aline Hartmann1
1Service d'Odontologie, Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Rothschild, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Introduction:
The transition from preclinical education to clinical training represents a critical stage in dental curricula, requiring students to consolidate theoretical knowledge while preparing for clinical decision-making. In this context, serious games have emerged as an innovative approach to promote active and collaborative learning. The aim of this pilot study was to explore short-term changes in theoretical knowledge and to examine students' perceptions of the educational value of a serious board game entitled Trivial Dental, implemented prior to entry into clinical training.
Materials And Methods:
A quasi-experimental pre-post study design without a control group was conducted after the approval by the Ethics Committee of the University Paris Cité. The Trivial Dental game was administered to fourth-year dental students during the integration week preceding their clinical training. A 25-item knowledge test developed by a multidisciplinary dental teaching team was completed by students before and after playing the game. In addition, a post-game perception questionnaire using a Likert scale was administered to evaluate students' satisfaction and perceived educational value.
Results:
The study included 42 students (76% women, mean age ± SD = 21.9 ± 2.8 years). Post-game knowledge scores were significantly higher than pre-game scores (86.9% ± 11.7% vs. 72.1% ± 21.6%; p < 0.01). Overall satisfaction was high, with 66.6% of students reporting that they "strongly liked" the experience. More than 90% of participants indicated that they would recommend the game to other students.
Discussion:
Educational games are a promising and engaging pedagogical strategy in dental education. Within the framework of Kirkpatrick's model of training evaluation, the present findings primarily reflect Level 1 (learner satisfaction) and Level 2 (knowledge acquisition) outcomes and suggest that a low-technology board game may support knowledge consolidation and student engagement at a critical stage preceding clinical training. However, due to the quasi-experimental design and absence of a control group, further research is required to evaluate long-term learning outcomes and confirm educational effectiveness.
Conclusion:
Trivial Dental appears to be a feasible and engaging educational tool that may support theoretical knowledge consolidation among dental students preparing for clinical practice.
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