In recent years, virtual reality and interactive digital simulations have been used in dental education to train dental students before interacting with real patients. Scientific evidence presented the application of virtual technology in dental education and some recent publications suggested that virtual and haptic technologies may have positive effects on dental education outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether virtual technologies have positive effects on dental education outcomes and to explore the attitudes of dental students and educators toward these technologies. A thorough search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE (via EBSCO), The Cochrane Library (via Wiley), Web of Science Core Collection (via Thomson Reuters), and Dentistry and Oral Science source (via EBSCO) using the keywords (student, dental) AND (education, dental) AND (virtual reality) OR (augmented reality) OR (haptics) OR (simulation) AND (dentistry) OR (dental medicine). The quality of the reported information was assessed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement for systematic reviews. A total of 73 publications were considered for this review. Fifty-two of the selected studies showed significant improvement in educational outcomes and virtual technologies were positively perceived by all the participants. Within the limitations of this review, virtual technology appears to improve education outcomes in dental students. Further studies with larger samples and longer term clinical trials are needed to substantiate this potential positive impact of various virtual technologies on dental education outcomes.
Purpose To evaluate the perception of six esthetic components of the smile among dental students and whether such a perception was influenced by different education levels and gender. Materials and Methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to all students (n=182) at clinical levels (year four and five) to evaluate a total of 6 ideal images (smile arc [SA], buccal corridor [BC], gingival display [GD], midline diastema [MD], crown length [CL] and width [CW]). In addition, students were asked to evaluate 20 altered images of these ideal images. A 10-point visual analogue scale was used to assess the ideal images, with the right end of the scale labeled “attractive smile” and represented by the number 10 and the left end of the scale labeled “unattractive smile” and represented by the number 0. The opposite scoring was applied for the altered esthetics smile images. Descriptive statistics was run to report sample characteristics, and the Mann-Whitney U -tests were performed to compare clinical levels and gender on aspects of esthetic smile. Results The response rate was 80% (77 females and 68 males). Students at level five scored statistically significantly (p<0.001) higher towered attractive esthetic smile in ideal SA, while students at level four scored statistically significantly (p=0.016 and 0.006, respectively) higher towered attractive esthetic smile in ideal GD and CL. At altered smile esthetics images evaluation, fifth year dental students scored statistically significantly (p=0.030, 0.026 and 0.028, respectively) higher towered unattractive esthetic smile in two altered images of SA and one of BC. In contrast, fourth year dental students scored statistically significantly (p=0.022, 0.048, 0.027, respectively) higher towered unattractive esthetic smile in one altered image of GD, midline diastema and crown width. Males in year four were more likely to score higher than females for ideal images meanwhile females in year five scored higher than males towards attractive smile in ideal images. Males and females differences in scoring ideal images on both levels were generally non-significant (P>0.05) although males were statistically significantly to score higher than females towards unattractive images in both levels (p<0.05). Conclusion Dental students at the fifth-year level of study had higher perception of esthetic components of smile than those at the fourth-year level. At each level of study, female dental students apparently had higher perceptions of smile esthetics than males.
In November 2002, a virus known as SARS-CoV was identified in Guangdong, China, and it was implicated as the etiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Seventeen years later, in the same month of November, a similar disease with more dramatic outcomes was identified in neighboring Wuhan. It has been six months since the identification of first cases of COVID-19 pandemic; however, unveiling clinical characteristics and modes of transmission of the disease are taking longer than expected. This overview aims to highlight some important points regarding the mode of transmission for which continuously surprising facts are being revealed every day. We also raise some vital questions to alert the scientific community to find the right answers and minimize the drastic fatal outcomes of this disease. It can be stated that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted as aerosol infection as well as through contacting infected surfaces. The possible role of abdominal gases as a route of spread of the virus should be considered and a fecal sample might be a useful diagnostic tool. Moreover, medical face masks are not protective from virus transmission during treating COVID-19 patients in settings where aerosol-generating procedures are performed. Doffing of PPE for healthcare workers needs more attention as this might be a source of infection unless additional measures of PPE disinfection are employed before doffing.
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