<italic>ToothPIC</italic>: An Interactive Application for Teaching Oral Anatomy

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of an interactive educational program, Tooth P lacement and I dentification C oach ( ToothPIC ). The program uses a game-based learning paradigm and 3D visualization techniques to allow first year dentistry and hygiene students to get familiar with dental anatomy. It provides an interactive and stimulating learning tool for acquiring basic dental skills outside of the classroom. Specifically, it uses interactive 3D graphics to teach students to identify, name, number, align, and orient teeth into their proper location in the dental arch. ToothPIC incorporates elements of a game to make learning attractive for the student. In the process, the student learns not only about the 3D features of each tooth but also about the proper placement of the tooth relative to the gingiva and other teeth. ToothPIC has two modules: Module 1 includes 32 permanent upper and lower teeth that are to be identified and placed into the surrounding gingiva. Module 2 only shows the individual teeth, one at a time, to be identified (similar to a “flash-card”). The evaluation results of ToothPIC indicate that students strongly agree that program meets its goals of self-training and self-evaluation, actively involves the students in learning and is a useful supplement to laboratory practices and lectures.