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Do Active Teaching Methodologies Improve the Performance of Dental Students? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Rafaella S N C Carneiro1, Tatiana A M do Nascimento2, Francielle S Verner3
1Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Campus GV, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Summary
Active teaching methodologies significantly improve academic performance and knowledge retention in dental students compared to traditional methods. This systematic review highlights the benefits of active learning for better educational outcomes in dentistry.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Dental Education
- Pedagogy
Background:
- Limited systematic reviews exist on active learning's impact on dental student academic performance.
- Existing research needs updated synthesis to guide educational practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate the impact of active teaching methodologies versus traditional methods on undergraduate dental students' academic performance.
- To synthesize current evidence on the effectiveness of active learning strategies in dental education.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) up to December 2024.
- Searches conducted in major databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus) and grey literature.
- Outcomes assessed included knowledge acquisition, skills performance, and competency measures; risk of bias and certainty of evidence were evaluated using RoB 2 and GRADE.
Main Results:
- 20 studies met eligibility criteria, with 18 included in the meta-analysis.
- Active methodologies demonstrated statistically significant improvements in academic performance post-intervention (p<0.001) and 1-month retention (p<0.001).
- No significant baseline differences were observed between groups (p=0.75); certainty of evidence was low.
Conclusions:
- Active teaching methodologies are associated with superior academic performance in dental students compared to traditional teaching.
- Findings support the integration of active learning strategies in dental curricula for enhanced student outcomes.
- Further high-quality research is needed to strengthen the evidence base.
