Effectiveness of Using a Mobile App to Improve Dental Students' Ability to Identify Endodontic Complications from Periapical Radiographs

Evaluation of an image-rich quiz-based iOS app as a study resource for the ABR Core exam

The American Board of Radiology Core exam requires that trainees demonstrate knowledge of critical concepts across 12 domains spanning a range of imaging modalities and anatomic regions. Mobile apps have become popular components of medical and radiology education since the inception of smartphones. Numerous medical educational apps are accessible via smartphone devices and tablets, regardless of operating system, for medical training and learning purposes. For over two decades, CTisus has served as an informational and educational radiology website containing image-rich materials and resources dedicated to the use of body CT. We conducted a study to evaluate the perceived utility of the CTisus iQuiz app as a study resource for the American Board of Radiology Core exam. The overall rating of the app was above average with 50 % of respondents characterizing the app as "Good" and 29 % evaluating the app as "Excellent." Further, 85 % of survey respondents found the app easy to understand and use, with related pearls deemed helpful by 75 % of participants, the video discussions found to be clear and beneficial by 79 %. Mobile apps are a valuable tool for the current generation of medical trainees, with quizzes shown to be an effective method to evaluate and enhance knowledge. The CTisus iQuiz app may benefit radiology residents studying for the ABR Core exam by providing access to image-rich, multiple choice-based self-assessments with in-depth explanations and feedback in an accessible interface, allowing for asynchronous learning and repeated practice.

Effect of gamification applications on success of dentistry students

BACKGROUND

Gamification, the use of game materials in education, has been used in several scientific fields, and studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in student comprehension.

AIM

To evaluate whether the success of 4th- and 5th-grade dentistry students increases when using the gamification applications Kahoot! and Mentimeter.

METHODS

An experimental design was used to measure the effect of gamification applications on students who were taught using the traditional method. For this purpose, Mentimeter and Kahoot! applications were used in this experimental study. Three groups of 4th- and 5th-grade students were formed: Mentimeter, Kahoot!, and control groups. The effect of gamification applications on achievement was evaluated by administering a post-test to these groups after the instructional process. One-way analysis of variance and t-tests were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 35.5% of the students were in the Mentimeter group, 29.8% in the Kahoot! group, and 34.6% in the control group. Of the total number of students, 54.8% were female and 45.2% were male, while 52.2% were 5th-grade students and 47.8% were 4th-grade students. The overall grade point average was found to be 66.65 (range, 24-100). There was a statistically significant difference in average success scores between students of different groups (P = 0.003 < 0.05) and grades (P = 0.036 < 0.05). The average success score was the highest in the Mentimeter group (71.64) and the lowest in the Kahoot! group (62.15). In the control group, this score was 65.41. The average success score was higher for students in the 5th-grade (68.16) and for female students (68.84).

CONCLUSION

Gamification has a great potential in the education of dentomaxillofacial radiology students. Mentimeter outperformed both the Kahoot! and the traditional method in terms of average student success rates.

Designing and implementation of a mobile application for teaching population oral health needs assessment for dental students; a non-randomized trial

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the effectiveness of a newly developed smartphone-based application for teaching population oral health needs assessment to undergraduate dental students.

METHODS

Target population in this study consisted of all students of Shahid Beheshti School of dentistry in the 7th and 8th semesters in the year 2023. The intervention group (7th semester) received teaching about population oral health needs assessment based on the book "Oral health surveys; basic methods", by means of an application, while the control group (8th semester) received the same content through self-learning activity. A questionnaire inquiring about the students' general aspects of smartphone usage, attitude towards learning based on mobile devices (m-learning), and level of knowledge about the content of the book was used for data collection.

RESULTS

Most dental students used smartphones extensively and expressed positive attitudes toward mobile learning with no significant statistical difference between intervention and control groups. However, both groups demonstrated limited knowledge gain from the book content, with the mobile application showing no superiority to self-learning education.

CONCLUSION

The present study did not demonstrate superior effectiveness of a smartphone app compared to traditional teacher-centered instruction, but the students' significant mobile usage and positive attitude towards m-learning suggest potential for further investigation in dental education.

Acceptability of interactive post-endodontic restoration decision making application among undergraduate dental students

Background/Purpose

Selecting an appropriate coronal restoration after root canal treatment requires careful consideration, however, there is a lack of established web-based tool that is based on clear guidelines for suitable post-endodontic restorations. Hence, we aimed to design and determine the acceptability of an interactive application to aid the decision making process for post-endodontic restoration among the undergraduate dental students.

Materials and methods

A web-based post-endodontic restoration decision making interactive application, (RestoSmart) was developed after a detailed review of available literature. Seventy undergraduate dental students of IMU University were recruited in the study. A validated questionnaire was given to the participants before and after the use of RestoSmart to answer the provided mock clinical scenarios. Obtained data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26 software package.

Results

The statistical analysis demonstrated that RestoSmart was acceptable among the undergraduate dental students (P < 0.05). Initially, participants recognized the potential benefits of designing an interactive application, 74% believing that it may enhance decision making and 76% emphasizing its user-friendliness. Additionally, close to half of the participants expressed the willingness to use interactive tools in future. Following the use of RestoSmart, there was a notable increase in favorability, with 94.2% finding it helpful in the decision making and 94.3% acknowledging its user-friendliness. Furthermore, 87.2% expressed intent to use RestoSmart in future.

Conclusion

RestoSmart was useful for decision making and user friendly. While overall response was positive, there exist some areas for improvement such as ease of use, updating evidence-based guidelines, and establishing its helpfulness in teaching and learning.

Mobile applications in radiology: own study based on polish data

As the number of smartphones increases, so does the number of medical apps. Medical mobile applications are widely used in many medical fields by both patients and doctors. However, there are still few approved mobile applications that can be used in the diagnostic-therapeutic process and radiological apps are affected as well. We conducted our research by classifying radiological applications from the Google Play® store into appropriate categories, according to our own qualification system developed by researchers for the purposes of this study. In addition, we also evaluated apps from the App Store®. The radiology application rating system we created has not been previously used in other articles. Out of 228 applications from the Google Play store, only 6 of them were classified as "A" category with the highest standard. Apps from the App Store (157) were not categorized due to the lack of download counts, which was necessary in our app-rating system. The vast majority of applications are for educational purposes and are not used in clinical practice. This is due to the need of obtaining special permits and certificates from relevant institutions in order to use them in medical practice. We recommend applications from the Google Play store that have been classified in the "A" category, evaluating them as the most valuable. App Store apps data is described and presented in the form of diagrams and tables.

Effect of an endodontic e-learning application on students' performance during their first root canal treatment on real patients: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

E-learning has found its way into dental teaching in general and endodontic teaching in particular. The present study aimed to implement a newly developed multimedia learning application and assess its effect on students' first root canal treatment on real patients. With the COVID-19 outbreak, the application's performance was investigated during the pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 138 students in the initial clinical endodontic course participated in this study. The control group (n = 49) followed the traditional curriculum, including practice on artificial teeth and face-to-face teaching events. In addition to the traditional curriculum, test group 1 (n = 54) had access to an endodontic e-learning application containing videos demonstrating artificial teeth and patient cases. With the COVID-19 outbreak, test group 2 (n = 35) had no face-to-face teaching; however, endodontic patient treatments were included. The quality of students' first root canal treatment on real patients was compared using performance and radiographic assessment items. Statistical analysis was done using Kruskal-Wallis and chi-squared tests. Test groups received a questionnaire to assess the learning application. Test group 2 also completed a COVID-19-specific survey to measure students' perceptions of how the pandemic affected their endodontic education.

RESULTS

The results of endodontic treatments were significantly better for test group 1 (P < 0.001) and 2 (P < 0.001) than for the control group. Likewise, there were significantly fewer treatment errors in test group 1 (P < 0.001) and 2 (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found between test groups 1 and 2. Students of the test groups positively evaluated the e-learning application. Students of test group 2 expressed their fear of negative impacts on their course performance.

CONCLUSION

The e-learning application was well-received and seemed to improve endodontic education. The results imply that the quality of education may be maintained by implementing e-learning to compensate for face-to-face teaching. As no difference was found between online and face-to-face teaching, students' and lecturers' concerns that endodontic education is suffering because of the pandemic may be eased.

Mobile applications in medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

This review evaluates the effectiveness of smartphone applications in improving academic performance and clinical practice among healthcare professionals and students.

Methods

This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane library through a comprehensive search strategy. Studies that included medical, dental, nursing, allied healthcare professional, undergraduates, postgraduates, and interns from the same disciplines who used mobile applications for their academic learning and/or daily clinical practice were considered.

Results

52 studies with a total of 4057 learner participants were included in this review. 33 studies (15 RCTs, 1 cluster RCT, 7 quasi-experimental studies, 9 interventional cohort studies and 1 cross-sectional study) reported that mobile applications were an effective tool that contributed to a significant improvement in the knowledge level of the participants. The pooled effect of 15 studies with 962 participants showed that the knowledge score improved significantly in the group using mobile applications when compared to the group who did not use mobile applications (SMD = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.57 to1.31, P<0.00001). 19 studies (11 RCTs, 3 quasi-experimental studies and 5 interventional cohort studies) reported that mobile applications were effective in significantly improving skills among the participants.

Conclusion

Mobile applications are effective tools in enhancing knowledge and skills. They can be considered as effective adjunct tools in medical education by considering their low expense, high versatility, reduced dependency on regional or site boundaries, online and offline, simulation, and flexible learning features of mobile apps.

Evaluation of different teaching methods in the radiographic diagnosis of proximal carious lesions

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate four different teaching methodologies in the radiographic diagnosis of proximal carious lesions and in the students' perception of these methodologies.

METHODS

71 undergraduate dental students were subdivided into 4 groups according to the teaching methodologies used (traditional, hybrid, e-learning and problem-based learning). All methods were applied by two properly trained researchers. Initially, students completed a pre-methodology test (index test). After applying the teaching methodologies, the students were submitted to a post-methodology test containing periapical radiographs for evaluation of proximal carious lesions. Then, the students answered a questionnaire to verify their perception of the different teaching methodologies. Statistical analysis was done.

RESULTS

There were no relationship between the results of pre- and post-methodologies tests, irrespective of the teaching methodology employed (p > 0.05). No differences between the teaching methodologies studied (p > 0.05) were found regarding the amount of correct answers. However, the students who participated in the active (e-learning and problem-based learning) and hybrid teaching methodology reported a positive impact in relation to their diagnostic skills at the questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

All the tested methodologies had a similar performance; however, the traditional methodology showed less acceptance by the students when analyzed subjectively and comparatively. The results of the present study increase comprehension about teaching methodologies for radiographic diagnosis of proximal carious lesions, and there is a potential to build on the knowledge base and provide practical support for students and educators.

COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on dental education: discussing current and future perspectives

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, many dental schools and instructors are rethinking the way they teach and interact with students. New perspectives regarding a change in face-to-face activities, social isolation and the reformulation of clinical activities result in a transition toward e-learning and e-teaching processes. In this review, we discuss some favorable aspects and difficulties associated with virtual teaching and learning, searching for available tools and techniques as well as new perspectives.