Date of Award

5-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Professions Education

First Advisor

Dr. Azam Afzal

Second Advisor

Dr. Aliya Ahmed

Third Advisor

Dr Faisal Ismail

Department

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Advancements in clinical dentistry are essential to equip undergraduate dental students with the necessary skills, particularly in critical areas such as local anesthesia administration in Oral Surgery. The administration of local anesthesia demands precision and expertise, necessitating innovative teaching approaches. This research addresses the challenges associated with traditional teaching methods and explores the potential of virtual simulation education to enhance the training of final year dental students. Recognizing the limitations of current approaches and the increasing complications related to local anaesthesia administration, this study investigates the comparative effectiveness of Medium Fidelity Simulation and Virtual Simulation methods. The research is grounded in the overarching goal of improving patient safety, reducing errors, and elevating the quality of dental care through targeted interventions in dental education.
Methodology: This study employed a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design over a five-month period at Isra Dental College, Hyderabad. 50 Final Year Undergraduate Dental Students formed the participant pool. The research involved a comparative analysis of two teaching methods – Medium Fidelity Simulation and Virtual Simulation in local anaesthesia procedure training in dentistry. Training period was 2 weeks for each group of students. Assessment strategies included a two-step evaluation process: first, a 3D Model and Virtual Simulation Mobile App Assessment, followed by a Real Patient Assessment. Validated questionnaires were utilized to measure local anaesthesia administration skills and self-efficacy among all the students. 50% passing score was set as a criterion to clear the assessment on simulation before direct patient exposure. Data analysis involved a Comparative Analysis (non-parametric equivalent such as Man-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test), testing for significant differences between group means. The significance level was set at α = 0.05.
Results: Analysis of demographic data revealed that 80.0% of the Medium Fidelity Simulation group and 92.0% of the Virtual Simulation group used smartphones for daily learning activities, while 44.0% and 72.0%, respectively, spent 3-6 hours with mobile simulators. Regarding online training sources, 60.0% of both groups relied on YouTube. Notably, in clinical performance assessments, the Virtual Simulation group significantly outperformed the Medium Fidelity Simulation group, with mean ranks of 18.30 and 32.70, respectively (p < 0.001). Post intervention, both groups exhibited significant increases in self-efficacy perceptions, particularly in comfort (p < 0.001 for both groups), user-friendliness (p = 0.046 for Medium Fidelity Simulation group, p = 0.002 for Virtual Simulation group), and realism of 3-D images (p = 0.041 for Medium Fidelity Simulation group, p = 0.003 for Virtual Simulation group). These findings underscore the potential of Virtual Simulation, particularly through mobile applications, in augmenting both clinical skills and self-efficacy among dental students.
Conclusion: The findings underscored the potential of Virtual Simulation, particularly through a mobile app, to positively influence local anaesthesia administration skills and self-efficacy among final year dental students. The virtual simulation environment allowed for flexible, convenient, and iterative practice, leading to improved clinical performance on real patients. While Medium Fidelity Simulation demonstrated notable effects on confidence, particularly influencing perceptions of anatomical realism, Virtual Simulation emerged as a more impactful and versatile teaching modality

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3

Last Page

91

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