Abstract
The aim of this systematic review was to investigate current penetration and educational quality enhancements from digitalization in the dental curriculum. Using a modified PICO strategy, the literature was searched using PubMed supplemented with a manual search to identify English-language articles published between 1994 and 2020 that reported the use of digital techniques in dental education. A total of 211 articles were identified by electronic search, of which 55 articles were selected for inclusion and supplemented with 27 additional publications retrieved by manual search, resulting in 82 studies that were included in the review. Publications were categorized into five areas of digital dental education: Web-based knowledge transfer and e-learning, digital surface mapping, dental simulator motor skills (including intraoral optical scanning), digital radiography, and surveys related to the penetration and acceptance of digital education. This review demonstrates that digitalization offers great potential to revolutionize dental education to help prepare future dentists for their daily practice. More interactive and intuitive e-learning possibilities will arise to stimulate an enjoyable and meaningful educational experience with 24/7 facilities. Augmented and virtual reality technology will likely play a dominant role in the future of dental education.
Highlights
The implementation of digital technologies in dental curricula has started globally and reached varying levels of penetration depending on local resources and demands
Web-based knowledge transfer/e-learning (22 studies); Digital surface mapping (20 studies); Dental simulator motor skills including intraoral optical scanning (IOS) (23 studies); 3D printing and prototyping (2 studies); Digital radiography (5 studies); and Surveys related to the penetration and acceptance of digital education (10 studies)
Fifteen studies reported the use of Web-based learning tools in the dental curriculum, comprising orthodontics [12,13], tooth anatomy [14,15,16], oral pathogens and immunology [17], dental radiology [18,19], oral surgery [20] or implant dentistry [21], prosthetic dentistry [22], caries detection [23,24], in growth and development [25], and the general use of Web-based learning tools [26] (Table 1)
Summary
The implementation of digital technologies in dental curricula has started globally and reached varying levels of penetration depending on local resources and demands. Most dental offices in Europe are equipped with software solutions for managing patients’ records, agenda and recall reminders; recording provided services, including working time schedules; ordering materials; and managing the maintenance contracts of medical devices. These systems incorporate medical histories, digital radiographs, intraoral photographs, medicine lists, and correspondences. The introduction of intraoral optical scanning (IOS) allows the current anatomic situation to be digitized, enabling chairside or laboratory fabrication of restorations, to plan oral rehabilitations with a set-up [3], and/or to superimpose the situation with 3-dimensional (3D) radiography (e.g., for guided implant placement) [4]. Public Health 2020, 17, 3269; doi:10.3390/ijerph17093269 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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