Department of Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Friedrich‑Alexander-Universität Erlangen‑Nürnberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Glückstraße 11, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Waldstraße 6, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
BMC Med Educ. 2022 Aug 1;22(1):591. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03638-7.
Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the accompanying contact restrictions, a new challenge arose for dental education. Despite the limited overall situation, it must be ensured that, in addition to theoretical content, practical skills in particular continue to be taught. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and implement an online hands-on course for dental students that ensures practical training, even during the pandemic.
The newly developed course was held from April 2020 to March 2021. A total of six groups (each consisting of approximately 40-50 students) took part in the course. The participating students were in their 3rd, 4th or 5th year of study. The course taught theoretical basics (via an online platform) and promoted the learning of practical/surgical techniques on models such as bananas, pork bellies, or chicken thighs with live demonstrations (via ZOOM) and interactive post-preparation by students at home (and in a rotating small group of 3-7 students on site). Student self-evaluation (at the beginning and end of the course) and course evaluation were performed using questionnaires. The learning success was analyzed (through self-evaluations) using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (significance level alpha = 0.05).
Concerning students´ self-evaluations, the theoretical knowledge, general surgical skills (such as surgical instrument handling), and specific surgical skills (such as performing a kite flap) improved during the course, with significant results (p < 0.001 for each). About 60% of the students rated the course overall as excellent (grades 9 or 10 on a Likert scale of 1 to 10). The technical implementation of the course was rated with a median of 9 (= very good, on a Likert scale of 1 to 10). 38.5% described the applicability of the skills learned for their later professional life as extremely good.
The results of this work suggest that, within the limitations of this study, the introduced concept of an online hands-on course could be an appropriate form of teaching practical dental skills, even during a pandemic. Further research is needed in the field of digital education for dental students.
由于 SARS-CoV-2 大流行和随之而来的接触限制，牙科教育面临新的挑战。尽管整体情况有限，但必须确保除了理论内容外，特别是实践技能继续得到教授。因此，本研究的目的是为牙科学生开发和实施一门在线实践课程，即使在大流行期间也能确保实践培训。
新开发的课程于 2020 年 4 月至 2021 年 3 月举办。共有六组（每组约 40-50 名学生）参加了该课程。参加的学生处于第 3、4 或 5 学年。该课程教授理论基础知识（通过在线平台），并通过现场演示（通过 ZOOM）和学生在家中的互动准备（以及在 3-7 名学生的小轮转组中现场），促进香蕉、猪腹、或鸡腿等模型上的实践/手术技术的学习。使用问卷对学生的自我评估（课程开始和结束时）和课程评估进行评估。使用 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验（显著性水平α=0.05）分析学习成功情况。
关于学生的自我评估，理论知识、一般手术技能（如手术器械处理）和特定手术技能（如进行风筝皮瓣）在课程中得到提高，结果具有统计学意义（每项 p<0.001）。约 60%的学生总体上对课程评价为优秀（李克特量表 1 到 10 分，得分为 9 或 10 分）。课程的技术实施得分为 9（=非常好，李克特量表 1 到 10 分）。38.5%的学生将所学技能对其未来职业生涯的适用性描述为极好。
这项工作的结果表明，在所进行的研究的限制范围内，引入的在线实践课程概念可能是在大流行期间教授牙科实践技能的一种合适形式。还需要在牙科学生的数字教育领域进行进一步的研究。
