Summary
Haptic simulation has been proposed as a valid methodological tool for dental students in order to acquire the necessary psychomotor skills that are needed for their clinical practice on humans. Available scientific evidence presents qualitative studies of the perception from both students and teachers with a favorable reception. Quantitative evidence utilizes different types of simulators and methods to calculate student performance and improvements in skill acquisition. The aim of this study was to compare the level of accuracy in performing an endodontic access cavity on a lower premolar using the VirtEasy Classic Full Immersion haptic simulator (VirtEasy Dental V2 in VR) by third-year endodontic students at both the beginning and end of Universidad del Desarrollo’s (UDD) dentistry endodontic program of year 2023. The proposed hypothesis was that the accuracy of students in the 2023 UDD dentistry endodontic course would effectively improve with practice on the virtual haptic simulator. The results showed an improvement in accuracy of 31.6 % at the end of the training period while performing the same access cavity. This information could be relevant for other universities or teaching groups as they might consider haptic simulation in their study programs as a method that aids and promotes the development of fine motor skills and patient safety.
KEY WORDS: haptic simulation, psychomotor skills, endodontic training.
How to cite this article
QUEYRIE, G. & ALONZO, K. Virtual tools to increase accuracy in endodontic student training. Int. J. Odontostomat., 18(4):470-475, 2024.
