Use of virtual reality as a radiology teaching tool for dental students

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a customized virtual reality (VR) application and its impact on radiographic image quality and the number of retakes by new learners.

Study Design

Thirty-nine first-year dental students were included in the research project. Students who had already taken dental radiology classes, had previous experience in taking intraoral radiographs, or had experience in the use of VR models were excluded. The students were randomized into 3 different groups: group A (Control, no VR use), group B (VR training and use), and group C (VR training and use + radiographic technique video). All groups attended regular lectures of the predoctoral course and a technique demonstration session. Subsequently, the students were required to complete a half full mouth series and were evaluated on the basis of the number of retakes and the graded radiographic image quality. The statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics software for Windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corp.). Image quality and the number of retakes were compared among the 3 groups. Data normality was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test, followed by the application of the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to compare the 3 groups.

Results

The use of VR had a significant effect on the number of retakes and the quality of the radiographs (P < .05). The use of VR significantly improved students' grades (mean grades 7.77 vs 9.38 vs 8.31). The average number of retakes was 6.62 for group A, 3.38 for Group B, and 3.46 for Group C.

Conclusion

The use of VR as a teaching tool had an impact on the number of retakes and the quality of the radiographs by new learners. When using the VR application, students had fewer retakes and greater radiographic technique grades. The use of VR should be encouraged in dental education.