The confidence gap: Between objective skill gains and subjective self-efficacy in digital cephalometric training

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Imaging
• Orthodontics

Background:

• The pedagogical value of digital cephalometric training in dental education is not well understood.
• This training may impact students' professional self-confidence.
• This study aimed to evaluate a digital cephalometric training model and identify factors influencing student self-assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of digital cephalometric training on landmark identification accuracy.
• To explore student perceptions of digital training, including feedback and learning preferences.
• To investigate the relationship between objective skill improvement and subjective self-confidence.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental study involving 20 landmark identifications before and after digital training.
• Students completed a 6-dimensional Likert scale questionnaire post-training.
• Paired t tests, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression analyzed accuracy and self-assessment predictors.

Main Results:

• Digital training significantly enhanced accuracy for all 20 cephalometric landmarks, especially difficult ones.
• Students appreciated instant feedback, autonomous learning, and blended digital-traditional approaches.
• A confidence gap was observed: self-assessment did not correlate with digital learning but with valuing traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• Digital cephalometric training effectively improves skills for orthodontic diagnosis.
• A disconnect exists between objective competence and subjective confidence in digital training.
• Integrating digital tools with traditional methods may enhance students' professional confidence.