The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile augmented reality simulator for local anesthesia training with dental students who are administering inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for the first time. Participants in this prospective study conducted in 2016 were 41 fourth‐ and fifth‐year students randomly divided into two groups: a control group with 19 students and an experimental group with 22 students. In addition to theoretical instruction and exercises, students in the experimental group used the mobile augmented reality simulator in a dental office 2h weekly for four weeks. The Sony SmartBand‐2 was used to measure all students' heart rate five minutes before and during anesthesia administration. After anesthesia, students in both groups completed a post‐clinical questionnaire evaluating their knowledge and skills. The experimental group had a higher average score and/or a more limited range of responses on each item of the questionnaire than the control group. The average time for performing IANB in the experimental group was 50.0±14.3 seconds, while the control group's average was 68.4±25.5 seconds. In addition, the group that used the augmented reality simulator had an anesthesia success rate of 90.9% compared to 73.7% for the control group. Students in both groups had a statistically significant increase in heart rate while performing anesthesia. Overall, the students who used the mobile simulator in addition to their education in augmented reality carried out anesthetic procedures for IANB in a shorter period of time and had greater success than the students who used only the conventional educational methods.

BackgroundAugmented reality (AR) is a simulation of a three‐dimensional environment created using hardware and software that provides the user with realistic experiences and ability to interact. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of AR simulator on the perception of learning and acute stress level in students administering local anaesthesia to paediatric patients relative to standard teaching methods.Material and methodsThe prospective study included 21 fourth‐ and fifth‐year students enrolled in 5‐year dental programme. In addition to conventional training, the students of the study group used the augmented reality simulator in a dental office 2 hours weekly in 2 weeks. The level of salivary cortisol was measured before and after the anaesthetic procedure as one of the indicators of acute stress.ResultsA statistically significant shorter time to perform infiltrative anaesthesia technique for the anterior superior alveolar nerve was observed in students using the AR technique (28.91 ± 9.06 seconds in the study group and 39.80 ± 9.29 seconds in the control group). The level of cortisol before and after anaesthesia was statistically significant in all subjects (cortisol concentration was 0.53 μg/dL before anaesthesia and 2.44 μg/dL after the procedure); however, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.ConclusionThe AR concept may influence better manipulation and control of the syringe in students administering their first anaesthetic injection to paediatric patients, but may not reduce acute stress.

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Background Traditional face-to-face clinical learning became problematic for final year dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance-learning may help mitigate the immediate impact of dental school closures. Integrating e-learning technologies into the learning process helps bridge the gap between pre-clinical and clinical training. Simulation allows students to repeat procedures until they demonstrate acceptable levels of skill. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a serious game as an additional teaching tool during the COVID-19 era to improve dental students’ local anaesthesia administration technique and confidence. Methods This study applied a simulation-based serious game as an additional learning tool for training and educating dental students in local anaesthesia. Students used a mobile simulator in Serbian for 10 days from their homes. To evaluate the learning process, the students completed a post-training questionnaire. Results All respondents felt comfortable using the simulator. Over 90% of respondents believed that the application facilitated the learning process and had advantages in terms of accessibility and ease of use. Also, students found augmented reality (AR) technology particularly interesting to use. The use of a mobile simulator designed as a 3D and AR environment allows for simpler localisation and identification of anatomical structures and reference points, which is a good base for clinical practice. Conclusion Serious games of local anaesthesia procedures as an additional e-learning tool during the COVID-19 era could improve students’ knowledge and skills.