New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care

A special issue of Dentistry Journal (ISSN 2304-6767).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (11 March 2024) | Viewed by 9675

Special Issue Editors

Department of Orthodontics, Carl Gustav Carus Campus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
Interests: regenerative medicine; dental education; orthodontics
Department of Orthodontics, Carl Gustav Carus Campus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
Interests: distraction osteogenesis; dental education; virtual training; 3D simulation; orthodontics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digital teaching methods and virtual training have grown in significance over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to substitute in-person teaching with modern digital methods.

Thanks to the rapid development of technology, smart devices and ever-evolving advanced digital capabilities, digital teaching in university centers is rapidly growing in popularity.

In the past, teaching in dentistry was complementary to theoretical teaching, primarily focused on the clinical training of dental skills and less so on integrating digital methods.

With the introduction of dental scanning systems, mainly intraoral scanning and digital radiography, dentistry was also influenced by digitalization processes. The problem in connecting manual training with digital methods and technical dental education still represents a bottleneck when it comes to bringing new technologies into dental education processes. Digital teaching will undoubtedly have a significant impact on later independent dental practice of young dentists and on the dental care of their patients.

Today, this specialty is in clear need of innovations, so the aim of this Special Issue is to motivate colleagues and young scientists to highlight and share new ideas and 3D virtual methods for improving dental teaching up to a digital standard, which can help to improve learning and education to a high standard, including digital methods even for manual learning.

Dr. Tomasz Gredes
Dr. Ute Botzenhart
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Dentistry Journal is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • virtual teaching/learning
  • 3D digital methods
  • dentistry
  • dental education
  • curriculum
  • dental care
  • telemedicine

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1994 KiB  
Article
Visual Versus Digital Color Determination of 3D-Printed Teeth as an Exercise in Dental Students’ Education
by Elisabeth Prause, Wolfgang B. Hannak, Robert Nicic, Holger A. Jakstat, Klaus Böning and Thomas Klinke
Dent. J. 2024, 12(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj12020024 - 26 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1048
Abstract
Visual color determination is part of the daily routine in dental practice. However, it is not a part of dental education so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether visual or digital tooth color determination of 3D-printed teeth is a [...] Read more.
Visual color determination is part of the daily routine in dental practice. However, it is not a part of dental education so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether visual or digital tooth color determination of 3D-printed teeth is a reliable tool for inexperienced dentistry students. Preclinical dental students evaluated eleven 3D-printed, tooth-shaped samples (VarseoSmile Crown plus, BEGO, Bremen, Germany) of different color shades. Visual shade determination using a reference scale (3D-Master Toothguide (3DM_TG), VITA Zahnfabrik, Bad Säckingen, Germany), followed by a digital color determination using a spectrophotometer (VITA Easyshade V, (ES_V), VITA Zahnfabrik), was performed. Color deviation was calculated in the Lab* color space (ΔE00) and converted into CIELAB 2000. The results were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test (α = 0.05). Significant differences between visual and digital color determination were proven (p < 0.001). Visual color determination (3DM_TG) showed a mean deviation (ΔE00 ± 95%CI) of 6.49 ± 0.47. Digital color determination (ES_V) showed significantly lower mean deviations of ΔE00 of 1.44 ± 0.58. Digital tooth color measurement using a spectrophotometer was a more reliable tool for the color determination of 3D-printed teeth for inexperienced dentistry students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care)
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11 pages, 563 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Dental Student Satisfaction after Internships in Collaborative Dental Practices in Saxony—A Retrospective Questionnaire Analysis
by Annette Wolf, Mihaela Pricop-Jeckstad, Ute Botzenhart and Tomasz Gredes
Dent. J. 2024, 12(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj12010014 - 13 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1333
Abstract
The goal for dental students of a university-based program should be to learn about practice procedures in a dental office as part of their studies in order to gain insight into day-to-day activities, such as organizational management, patient communication, and problem-solving strategies. All [...] Read more.
The goal for dental students of a university-based program should be to learn about practice procedures in a dental office as part of their studies in order to gain insight into day-to-day activities, such as organizational management, patient communication, and problem-solving strategies. All dental students from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Dresden in Germany, who completed a one-week internship in an external dental office in the last year before taking the final exam, were invited to participate in the survey (total n = 182 in years 2017–2019 and 2022). After completing the internship, the students were asked to anonymously rate the distinctive competencies they had acquired during their dental studies in terms of clinical and social communication skills. The results of the survey showed a good practicability of the acquired dental knowledge and a general satisfaction of students during their internships. No significant influence of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting special regulations in dental practices during the pandemic on student satisfaction was found. Students were more satisfied with their completed internships in smaller cities. Therefore, a stronger inclusion of practices outside the big cities should be considered in the current implementation of the new Dental Licensure Act in Germany. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care)
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12 pages, 1102 KiB  
Article
Visual Tooth Color Determination with Different Reference Scales as an Exercise in Dental Students’ Education
by Thomas U. Klinke, Wolfgang B. Hannak, Klaus Böning, Holger A. Jakstat and Elisabeth Prause
Dent. J. 2023, 11(12), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj11120275 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1346
Abstract
Visual color determination (VCD) requires color competence and individual training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the deviations in students’ VCD with two different reference scales. The research hypothesis was that none of the color references would provide a better result. [...] Read more.
Visual color determination (VCD) requires color competence and individual training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the deviations in students’ VCD with two different reference scales. The research hypothesis was that none of the color references would provide a better result. Participants evaluated nine templates randomly using two reference scales (VITA-classical (VC) and 3D-Master-Toothguide (3DM_TG)). The color distance to the chosen color (ΔEab) was calculated in the CIELAB 2000. The sum’s changes in the parameters (LCh°) represented the target variable. Results were evaluated with non-parametric, rank-scaled methods, utilizing the median with a 25%-75% quartile. The significance level (α = 0.05) is determined using the Student’s t-test. The mean ± 95%CI (SD) was −1.27 ± −1.09 (3.18); the median ΔE00 was −1.49 (−1.97; 0.96) for dC3DM_TG. The determination with VC showed noticeable differences (dCVC), with a mean ΔE00 of 0.00 ± 0.00 (2.20) and a median ΔE00 of 0.00 (1.17; 1.71). The standard error was 0.19 for the dCVC and 0.27 for the dC3DM_TG. dC3DM_TG vs. dCVC showed significant differences at p < 0.001. The dental student’s VCD resulted in color deviations, regardless of the reference template used. The color deviations in hue and chroma were comparable, regardless of the reference scale. VCD’s early implementation in dental education is useful to avoid shade misjudgments and potentially expensive remakes of dentures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care)
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14 pages, 2470 KiB  
Article
Implementation of a Full Digital Workflow by 3D Printing Intraoral Splints Used in Dental Education: An Exploratory Observational Study with Respect to Students’ Experiences
by Pablo Kraemer-Fernandez, Sebastian Spintzyk, Ebru Wahl, Fabian Huettig and Andrea Klink
Dent. J. 2023, 11(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj11010005 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2950
Abstract
Fully digital workflows gained acceptance in dental practice and thereby are of interest for undergraduate education. An exploratory clinical observation was designed to track the implementation of such a workflow with novice digital users in order to describe its feasibility, time investment, and [...] Read more.
Fully digital workflows gained acceptance in dental practice and thereby are of interest for undergraduate education. An exploratory clinical observation was designed to track the implementation of such a workflow with novice digital users in order to describe its feasibility, time investment, and pitfalls. Methods: Students were invited to provide feedback for their experiences with a training module that consisted of the following: intraoral scanning, computer-aided design (CAD), manual finishing, and insertion of a 3D-printed bite splint for the lower jaw. Results: A total of 82 fourth-year students participated in the module. The average time required to perform an intraoral scan was 17 m 5 s, and all students were able to design a splint with an average time of 2 h 38 m. Students who indicated prior experience with CAD seem to outperform inexperienced students in both CAD task completion and intraoral scanning. The initial fit was reported as clinically acceptable by 68.5% of the participants, while 79% rated the workflow as very good to satisfactory and indicated that the training was helpful for dental practice. Conclusions: The implementation of a digital workflow in undergraduate dental education is feasible and has acceptable clinical results. However, CAD is time-intensive, and the experience can be challenging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care)
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12 pages, 3833 KiB  
Article
Cross-Sectional Study on the Comparative Assessment of Mandibular Anesthesia (Inferior Alveolar Nerve Blockage) Manual Skills Shaping among Dentists on Plastic and Biomaterial Models
by Yuriy Vasil’ev, Ekaterina Diachkova, Hadi Darawsheh, Artem Kashtanov, Ekaterina Molotok, Beatrice Volel, Artem Batov, Olesya Kytko, Rinat Saleev, Gulshat Saleeva, Laysan Saleeva, Irina Smilyk and Natalya Tiunova
Dent. J. 2022, 10(7), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj10070124 - 04 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1936
Abstract
Background: Providing regional anesthesia skills shaping remains relevant nowadays. A number of studies show that dentists have difficulties with these working independently. The study aim is the comparative analysis of the results of mandibular anesthesia (IANB) manual-skills shaping among dentists on plastic models [...] Read more.
Background: Providing regional anesthesia skills shaping remains relevant nowadays. A number of studies show that dentists have difficulties with these working independently. The study aim is the comparative analysis of the results of mandibular anesthesia (IANB) manual-skills shaping among dentists on plastic models and cadavers. Methods: In total, 999 participants were training in the skills of mandibular anesthesia from 2017 to 2021. The participants were divided in a random way into two groups: 700 participants were trained on plastic models, and 299 were trained on the cadaver material. After a lecture on the clinical and anatomical guidelines for IANB, a demonstration of the technique was provided, with subsequent testing of the injection technique. Satisfaction with the aspects of the training was assessed using the Likert scale. Results: the analysis of average values showed that participants from the group in which the manual skills were practiced on cadavers were more satisfied with the main aspects of the training, according to the sum of the main criteria of the modified scale. Conclusions: The important advantages of cadaver educational technology are that the sensations of tissue resistance are identical to natural ones, the individuality of each object, and the possibility of the visual study of the anesthesia technique, by dissection of the needle course and the location of the anesthetic depot. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Dental Education and Dental Care)
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