ABSTRACT
Second Life (SL) is an online virtual world with a social environment that may serve as a valuable learning supplement to traditional preclinical teaching methods. The educational advantages of this virtual world include immersion and interactivity. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of using 3-dimensional interactive platforms (3DIPs) designed in SL to that of traditional teaching methods for developing students' understanding of dental clinical situations that are difficult to simulate in real life. For this study, 3DIPs were developed to compare the acquisition of 3 learning objectives: understanding concepts, procedural aspects of interaction with the patient, and spatial interpretation of anatomical structure interactions. A representative dental topic, the use of a semiadjustable articulator, was selected. A quasi-experimental design with 2 groups and pretest-posttest comparison was used. The students in the control group received the conventional teaching established for the subject, which does not include SL experiences. The students in the experimental group received conventional instruction and had access to all 3DIPs for 4 weeks without limitation. The pretest and posttest consisted of a multiple-choice test with 20 questions. A Student t test was used to compare the test results of the groups (significance level α = 0.05). The posttest scores for the understanding of concepts and spatial interpretation were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in posttest scores on the topic of procedural aspects. Students who used cooperative methods for acquisition of knowledge were observed to be highly motivated. The results suggest that the SL environment helps students to understand anatomical interactions that are difficult to observe in real life, is attractive to students, and contains tools with high didactic potential.
Subject(s)
Education, Dental , Virtual Reality , Dentistry , Education, Dental/methods , Educational Measurement , Humans , LearningABSTRACT
Comparar la distancia de los contactos interoclusales, en máxima intercuspidación, respecto al eje central de premolares y molares, en dos grupos, con y sin abfracciones. Materiales y métodos. La población estuvo conformada por 91 estudiantes de la asignatura de Oclusión de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de San Martín de Porres, de la cual se obtuvo una muestra de 1230 dientes entre premolares y molares, a los cuales se les registró los contactos interoclusales en máxima intercuspidación con un papel articular Accu film II, para determinar la ubicación del contacto; se midió la distancia entre el contacto y el surco central por medio de una sonda periodontal. Posteriormente, se determinó la presencia o ausencia de abfracciones en los dientes analizados y se contrastaron las mediciones entre ambos grupos. Resultados. Luego de analizar los promedios de las distancias de los contactos oclusales con respecto al surco central, por medio de la prueba t de Student, se encontró diferencias significativas en las distancias de los dientes con y sin abfracciones. Conclusiones. Este estudio arroja evidencia que apoya a la teoría de la flexión dental como etiología de este tipo de lesiones, ya que muestra que existe una mayor distancia del contacto oclusal respecto al eje central del diente, en los dientes que presentaron dichas lesiones...
To compare the distance of interocclusal contacts, in maximum intercuspation, regarding the central axis of premolars and molars in two groups, with and without abfractions. Materials and methods. The population consisted of 91 students of thecourse of Occlusion, Faculty of Dentistry, University of San Martin de Porres, from which a sample of 1230 teeth between premolars and molars was obtained, to which interocclusal contacts in maximum intercuspation were registered with articulating paper Accu II film to determine the location of the contact; the distance between the contact and the central groove by a periodontal probe was measured. Subsequently, the presence or absence of teeth abfractions analyzed and measurements were compared between groups was determined. Results. After analyzing the average of distances of occlusal contacts to the central sulcus, by the Student t test, significant differences in the distances of the teeth without abfractions was found. Conclusions. This study provides evidence that supports the theory of dental bending as etiology of this type of injury, as it shows that there is a greater distance from the occlusal contact with the central axis of the tooth, in those teeth with these lesions...
