Abstract
BackgroundLocal anaesthesia plays a key role in many aspects of a dentist’s work. The required skills to perform anaesthesia successfully are acquired at university. To take advantage of the possibilities for new teaching formats, a blended learning concept for the local anaesthesia course was developed. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face, blended and e-learning in teaching in local anaesthesia by assessing students’ knowledge gain, performance of practical skills and satisfaction with the course.MethodsAll participants (n = 37) were randomly allocated into three groups. After acquiring the theoretical background in the blended learning, e-learning or lecture groups, a test to assess knowledge gain was performed. The performance of the practical skills was assessed in a small-group seminar. Student attitudes were evaluated with a questionnaire.ResultsThe blended group showed significantly better results (mean = 17, SD =1.5) in theoretical knowledge gain than the other two groups (e-learning group: mean = 14.7, SD = 2.2; lecture group: mean = 14.8, SD =2.3). When comparing the results of the clinical skills assessment, there was no significant difference among all three groups (p > 0.017). The participants confirmed a high overall satisfaction with the course, in particular with the blended learning approach.ConclusionThis study indicates that blended learning improves the learning outcome for theoretical knowledge in teaching local anaesthesia more than either face-to-face learning or e-learning alone. Furthermore, the blended learning approach is highly appreciated by the students. For acquiring practical skills, this study shows that blended learning is as effective as other teaching methods.
Highlights
Local anaesthesia plays a key role in many aspects of a dentist’s work
E-learning The e-learning programme about local anaesthesia consists of seven chapters
This study indicates that blended learning in teaching local anaesthesia improves the learning outcome for theoretical knowledge more than either face-to-face learning or e-learning alone
Summary
Local anaesthesia plays a key role in many aspects of a dentist’s work. The required skills to perform anaesthesia successfully are acquired at university. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face, blended and e-learning in teaching in local anaesthesia by assessing students’ knowledge gain, performance of practical skills and satisfaction with the course. Local anaesthesia is used to induce insensitivity to pain in a defined small part of the body. In dental practice, it plays a key role in completing several dental procedures, for example periodontal treatment, endodontic treatment and oral surgery. The literature describes that the success rate of conventional inferior alveolar nerve block is only 80– 85% [3] Since it is so important in the daily clinical life of a dentist, sufficient and effective instruction is needed when teaching dental students
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