Summary
The 21st century has brought significant educational challenges, including a greater focus on virtual learning, which intensified considerably during the COVID-19 health alert. However, a blended learning system that combines traditional classroom instruction with online teaching seems to be gaining greater acceptance in the educational field. The objective was to analyze the literature regarding the implementation of blended learning in dentistry to review its advantages and effectiveness in dental education. A search was conducted for articles published in the last 10 years (2015-2024) using the electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The search was implemented using Boolean operators such as AND, OR, and NOT. Keywords used included: “blended learning,” “dentistry,” “multimodal education system,” “learning theories.” Blended learning has proven to be an effective and adaptable option in dental education. The reviewed studies indicate that this approach facilitates deeper and more collaborative learning, combining the advantages of both face-to-face and online teaching. This method effectively develops both practical and theoretical skills. Additionally, research shows that students in blended learning modalities achieve better academic results and are better prepared to face the challenges of clinical practice. Blended learning meets the current needs of the digital educational environment, preparing students to face the growing challenges of the 21st century by fostering their learning, independence, critical thinking, self-motivation, and clinical skills.
KEY WORDS: blended learning, multimodal education system, dentistry, learning theories.
How to cite this article
ROCHA, G. M. M.; QUIROGA, G. M. A.; GLORIA, G. M. A.; ESPINOSA, R. M. C.; CRUZ, P. G. & RANGEL, P. E. E. Blended learning: an alternative in dentistry? Int. J. Odontostomat., 18(4):450-456, 2024.
