Intraoral Scanners: Enhancing Dental Education

This study evaluated how integrating intraoral scanners (IOS) into Digital Dentistry and Operative II courses at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) influenced second-year dental students' perceived understanding of ceramic inlay preparations and examined differences by learning preferences.

IOS was incorporated alongside pre-class readings, lectures, and typodont exercises. Students scanned their preparations using IOS to create rotatable 3D models for visualisation and feedback. A Tufts Health Sciences Institutional Review Board-approved Qualtrics survey, validated for face and content, assessed students' perceptions of IOS's educational value and impact on understanding and differences based on individual learning preferences (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and tactile).

Nearly all respondents, 96.6% (n = 140), agreed that IOS improved their ability to visualise the design of ceramic inlay preparations and served as a valuable adjunct to the didactic lecture on inlays. Students who self-identified as visual learners reported significantly higher satisfaction with IOS integration compared to nonvisual learners (p = 0.001). In addition, students identified multiple courses where IOS would be a valuable visual aid.

Integrating IOS into preclinical instruction improved students' perceived understanding and visualisation of ceramic inlay preparations, with the strongest impact among visual learners. IOS represents an effective complementary tool for enhancing spatial reasoning and bridging theoretical and practical learning in dental education. Future research should incorporate objective learning outcomes and cognitive load measures to validate these findings.