Virtual clinic: Applying technology to expand dental school walls.

Abstract

Dental education traditionally requires the use of dedicated fixed preclinic facilities to provide clinically relevant experiences to support the development of dexterity, critical thinking, and self-assessment skills that are essential for excellent patient care. As a result of the social distancing guidelines instituted at the height of the COVID pandemic, dental education was severely affected when education pivoted to remote instruction and had significant restrictions on in-person training. This study evaluated a novel application of modern technology to allow students to perform clinically relevant hands-on exercises away from dental school and, most importantly, receive feedback on their performance as an aid in their development. Student surveys and a comparison of pre- and post-COVID grades were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual clinic to support remote dental education.