The DERWeb project--dental education resources on the Internet

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Informatics
• Digital Learning Resources

Background:

• Higher education delivery, including dental education, has significantly evolved.
• The World Wide Web has introduced innovative methods for delivering educational content.
• The Dental Education Resource Web (DERWeb) project was initiated to leverage web technologies for dental education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and disseminate a comprehensive digital library of clinical dental images.
• To create teaching materials demonstrating the utility of the image library for dental educators globally.
• To evaluate the impact of digital resources and computer literacy within the dental community.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of a digital library containing 1600 clinical dental images with descriptions and keywords.
• Development of educational materials for demonstrating the image library's application in institutional settings.
• Conducting hands-on courses for dental professionals to introduce the resource and assess digital skills.

Main Results:

• DERWeb emerged as a premier global resource for dental education, accessed by users in 79 countries.
• The platform achieved approximately 107,000 accesses in October 1996.
• DERWeb also manages web presences for organizations like the British Dental Association and provides curated links to quality dental websites.

Conclusions:

• The DERWeb project successfully established a widely adopted online resource for dental education.
• The initiative demonstrated the potential of web-based platforms to enhance dental training and knowledge sharing.
• Ongoing funding supports DERWeb's expansion into new technologies, including interactive web features.