Introduction:WhatsApp is an instant multimedia messaging and social media software which can be used for multiple purposes such as data, text, photographs and document transfer. Due to its versatility and multiple utilities, WhatsApp has been used within the educational setting in medicine and dentistry, proving a positive attitude of students towards its use. Aim:To compare the reception time and the response time of WhatsApp with the traditional electronic email within the dental educational environment. Method:A two-group comparative study was designed. Four multiple choice questions were sent via WhatsApp (group WA) and via electronic mail (group eM) to dental students. Data collected focused on the reception time and response time of students. Specifications of WhatsApp were used to collect data whilst an email tracker was used for the eM group. Excel software and Stata/IC version 15.1 software were used for data analysis.Results: Seventy-four dental students from the University x (anonymised for reviewing purposes) dental school agreed to take part in this experience. However, 59 provided their responses (80%). Forty-four were females, and 15 were males. Twenty-seven participants were randomly allocated to the WA group and 32 to the eM group. The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between groups: Reception time, P: .0286 value and response time, P: .0448 value indicating that the WA group was significantly faster in terms of reception and response time. Conclusion:This pilot study suggests that WhatsApp is more efficient in terms of reception and response time than electronic emails.
The aim of this study is to identify topics (knowledge and skills) from the dental curricula that would benefit from having a 3D learning resource using an exploratory sequential design method. The first phase targeted stakeholders from a Scottish dental school. Seven focus groups and three interviews disclosed 97 suitable topics for 3D technology development. These results were used to construct a survey that was sent to final year dental students, newly dental graduates and academics from three Scottish universities. The survey asked participants to rank each item based on the perceived benefit that a 3D learning resource would have for dental education. Results revealed that detailed anatomy of the temporomandibular joint, dental anaesthesiology, dental clinical skills techniques, dental occlusion and mandibular functioning were top priorities. Gender differences only appeared in relation to ‘Extraction techniques: movements and force’ (p < 0.05), this topic was considered to be more beneficial by females than by males. No statistical difference was found when comparing results of graduates with undergraduates. These results serve as a starting point when developing a new 3D technology tool for dental education, considering users demands and perceived needs has the potential to benefit dental students and dental education directly.
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