Virtual Reality as a novel educational tool in preclinical paediatric dentistry training: Students' perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Dental students are required to demonstrate competency by preclinical simulated practice before performing invasive clinical procedures on patients. The Moog Simodont(R) Dental Trainer provides a virtual reality based dental simulation environment for training students. AIM: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study compared students' perception of the preclinical paediatric dentistry training gained in Simodont(R) and conventional simulation environment. DESIGN: The dental students who completed pulpotomies and stainless steel crowns (SSCs) training in Simodont(R) and conventional preclinical simulation laboratory were invited to complete a questionnaire on their experience in both environments. The percentages for the distribution of responses to statements about training modality were tabulated, and intra-participant comparisons were used to measure student preference for either Simodont(R) or conventional simulation training. RESULTS: One hundred students completed the survey. Fifty-one percent of students agreed that using Simodont(R) assisted their learning, and 56% felt Simodont(R) training facilitated their understanding of paediatric dentistry tasks. Generally, participants felt more comfortable with simulation training than Simodont(R) for both practical exercises. Eighty-eight percent of the participants disagreed that Simodont(R) should replace conventional simulation. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that Simodont(R) could be used as an adjunct in training dental students for preclinical paediatric dentistry restorative exercises.