Three-dimensional replica of the temporal bone in the teaching of human anatomy.

Purpose: The current study proposes the comparison of the visualization and identification of anatomical details between natural human temporal bone, its respective copy from three-dimensional printing, and the virtual model obtained from CBCT.

Methods: The sample consisted of undergraduate students in Dentistry (Group UE, n = 22), Postgraduate students in Radiology and Imaging (Group P-RI, n = 20), and Postgraduate students in Forensic Odontology (Group P-FO, n = 24). All participants attended a theoretical class on specialized anatomy of the temporal bone and subsequently performed the markings of 10 determined structures.