The pre-clinical-clinical transition in dentistry is a recognisable matter in dental education that requires assessment and research to ease the management of a stage with relevant influence on educational outcomes. This article presents an initial framework for further research and educational intervention.

The use of 3D vision in a virtual learning environment has a significant positive effect on the performance of the students as well as on their appreciation of the environment.

The creation and use of virtual teeth in dental education appears to be feasible but is still in development; it offers many opportunities for the creation of teeth with various pathologies, although an evaluation of its use in dental education is still required.

Context In preclinical dental education, plastic and extracted teeth have been broadly used for skills training without specific focus on the patient behind the procedure. A patient‐centered approach remains challenging in traditional simulation, which does not resemble realistic clinical situations. Objective This article describes the development and first experiences with a patient‐centered virtual reality training module (PC‐VR) that allows dental care providers to prepare, beforehand and in virtual reality (VR), specific procedures required by their patients. Experiences with this patient‐centered practice are described to reflect on its value for clinical training in dentistry. Design Using an intraoral scanner, digital impressions of 10 patients were made; these served as stereolithography (STL) digital files, which were converted into volumetric haptic models for display in a VR dental simulator. In this study, students’ experiences were investigated through a short open‐answer survey in 2018. Atlas.ti was used for qualitative analysis of the answers through the inductive methodology of the grounded theory approach. Results Drillable virtual models of real patients were made available for training using VR. Inductive analysis of the experiences identified 5 dimensions describing the main features of PC‐VR: added value, competence development, self‐efficacy, outcomes, and room for development. Conclusion This article provides a general overview of the possibilities and challenges of the implementation PC‐VR in dental education. Although concrete effects on trainees’ self‐confidence and performance are yet to be determined, all participants appreciated the opportunity to explore clinical situations before experiencing them in the context of a real patient.

The results suggest that FFB is important for performance in a VLE and essential for satisfaction.

Aim: Virtual teeth with and without tooth pathology have been developed for use in a virtual learning environment in dental education. The objective of this study was to evaluate the appearance of these virtual teeth for use in dental education and to compare them with contemporary educational models, such as plastic teeth (Frasaco GmbH) and extracted human teeth.Material and methods: Six sets of photographs representing six different teeth were shown to dentists, teachers (dentists) and dental students (bachelor's and master's degree students). Each set consisted of 15 pictures showing five views of the extracted human tooth, the similar virtual tooth and the plastic tooth. The five views represented the mesial, distal, occlusal, buccal and lingual surfaces. The virtual tooth was the same as the extracted tooth (scanned with a cone beam CT, coloured and edited in Color-MapEditor â ), and the plastic tooth presented the best possible match to the extracted tooth. The participants were asked to rate the appearance of the virtual teeth (overall and in terms of caries, restoration and colours), whether the virtual or plastic teeth resembled the extracted teeth better and from which teeth they expected to learn the most (extracted, virtual or plastic).Results: Each group of participants found that the virtual teeth resembled the extracted teeth more than they resembled the plastic teeth; 71% of the participants expected to learn more from the virtual teeth than from the plastic teeth. Conclusion:The results show that the appearance of the virtual teeth was considered more realistic than the appearance of the plastic teeth. The expectation was that the learning opportunities of the virtual teeth are better than of the plastic teeth.

An increasing emphasis has been placed on the need for an evidence‐based approach in dentistry. This calls for effort in dental education to develop and implement tools for the application of evidence in clinical decision‐making (evidence‐based decision‐making, EBDM). Aim:  To evaluate whether the implementation of a community of learners (COL) within a clinical EBDM course enables students, clinical teachers and scientists to discuss the application of evidence in clinical decision‐making and whether it stimulates a scientific approach in students. Material and Methods:  A clinical course in EBDM was created. Students presented and discussed patient cases in a COL of student‐peers, clinical teachers and scientists. From the discussion, clinical questions arose and were translated into PICO format (Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome). Students searched for evidence in the literature. Four weeks later, they presented and discussed the evidence found. Before and after the implementation of the course, students, clinical teachers and scientists completed a questionnaire anonymously on the procedure adopted, its content, the learning outcomes and their appreciation of this course. Assessment of the competence EBDM was performed at the end of the course. Grading scores of students in the COL were compared with scores of a student group that did not participate in the COL and were not advised by scientists. Results:  Evaluation showed that scientists, clinical teachers and students gradually became more positive on the adopted procedure, content, learning outcomes and the appreciation of this course (ANOVA Bonferoni P < 0.05). The student’s evaluation showed the development of a more scientific approach. Assessment scores of EBDM were sufficient and promising. Conclusion:  A stimulating arena was created: a COL, in which the evidence used in clinical decision‐making, was discussed. The COL involved dental students, clinical teachers and scientists. In this setting, an EBDM course appeared to result in a more scientific approach from dental students. The COL provided a good working concept for EBDM in dental education.

Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of skills between various levels of force feedback (FFB) using the Simodont dental trainer (Moog, Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands). Students practiced a manual dexterity exercise in a virtual reality environment at a standard level of FFB and then were tested at the standard and an altered level of FFB. In addition, the students' satisfaction with the training exercise was evaluated. Methods One hundred twenty-six first-year dental students were randomly distributed into four groups and underwent a manual dexterity test in the virtual reality environment with automatic assessment after a 3-month period of practicing with standard FFB. The test consisted of drilling with the standard FFB and an altered level of FFB to evaluate the effect on performance. After the test, the participants completed a questionnaire. Results The results showed that 74% of the students who passed completed between one of three and three of three successful attempts at FFB levels at which they had not previously practiced. Conclusions The results of this study imply that if students practice a sufficient amount of time at one level of FFB, a skill is transferable from one level of FFB to another.