Impact of the Haptic Virtual Reality Simulator on Dental Students’ Psychomotor Skills in Preclinical Operative Dentistry

Abstract

One of the current trends in dental education is to empower dental students on a global platform using advanced technology. Haptic virtual reality simulation (HVRS) is a relatively new technology in the field of teaching and learning operative dentistry. This study aims to assess the impact of haptic virtual reality simulation (HVRS) on dental students’ psychomotor skills acquisition in preclinical operative dentistry. Class I cavity preparations (CP) were performed at baseline by 21 novice dental students on plastic teeth. Duration of CP was recorded and cavity features were evaluated and scored. Then, students were exposed to HVRS training on CP. Another Class I CP was performed by each student on plastic teeth after HVRS training, then evaluated, and the duration was recorded. There was a statistically significant decrease in CP performance time after HVRS training (p < 0.001) and an increase in the mean total marks of CP after HVRS training (p < 0.001). The change in the students’ performance in the CP displayed a statistically significant improvement after HVRS training in smoothness of the pulpal floor (p = 0.047), pulpal floor direction (p = 0.029), buccal, lingual, and mesial wall direction (p = 0.004, p = 0.025, p = 0.002), mesial and distal wall smoothness (p = 0.01, p = 0.001), internal line angle (p = 0.024), and internal point angle (p = 0.029). Overall improved performance in psychomotor skills was found after HVRS training. It could be beneficial to incorporate HVRS training early in pre-clinical operative dentistry courses as an adjunct to conventional phantom head training.

Impact of haptic simulators in preclinical dental education: A systematic review

“…The characteristics of the included studies are presented in Table 2. In summary, there were eight comparative trials, 16,21,[29][30][31][32][33][34] three cross-sectional trials, 14,35,36 six randomized controlled studies, 11,23,[37][38][39][40] five comparative crossover studies, 13,18,[41][42][43] and one retrospective cohort study. 44 A total of 1303 participants aged 18-35 years were included, the majority being first-year dental students.…”

“…1,7,[9][10][11] Simulators that have incorporated this novel digital technology can graphically and haptically simulate real-world clinical situations to improve fine motor skill acquisition. 1,9,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Unlike conventional simulation, haptic simulators allow for an objective assessment and encourage a self-assessment approach to enhance students' autonomy. The use of haptic simulators in the early phases of preclinical dental training can improve student performance 19 and accuracy in implant drilling, 11 and also provide unlimited training hours.…”

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Applications During Covid-19 Pandemic Among Preclinical Medical and Dentistry Students: A Mini-Review

“…AR and VR are mainly used for teaching, learning, and training technical competencies among preclinical medical and dental students in both Western and Asian countries [10,54]. Training for emergency response and teaching soft skills are two more aspects of medical education that may incorporate VR [59,60].…”

Evaluation of the effectiveness of technological advances in health education

“…Se hace referencia a simuladores de realidad virtual háptica al hablar de simuladores que más allá de las visualizaciones en 3D generan fuerzas, emiten pulsaciones o vibraciones, todo esto como resultado de la interacción del usuario y los dispositivos físicos utilizados en las simulaciones. Estos sistemas permiten preparar a los estudiantes principalmente en reparación de piezas dentales y curación de caries, además de servir para probar dichas piezas dentales y determinar la calidad del trabajo realizado por cada uno de los estudiantes [12].…”