Effect of educational intervention on computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing technology to preclinical dental students.

Introduction: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a video presentation instruction compared to the prevailing traditional lecture provided in the preclinical classroom when introducing computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted as a controlled educational trial (single-blind) on 120 first-year dental students. Students were assigned to two learning groups: the control (n = 60, traditional lecture) and the intervention (n = 60, video presentation). Both groups completed a self-efficacy scale (SES) survey before instruction. Then, the intervention group actively participated in a one-session video presentation while the control group was given a traditional lecture. After the presentations, student knowledge was assessed with a hands-on simulated exercise that was scored out of 60 points. At last, students completed a post-instruction student perception and attitude (SPA) survey. Inferential hypothesis testing was conducted with two-sample t-tests, and significance was defined as p ≤ .05.

Results: There were no significant differences in the student pre-instruction SES scores between the control and intervention groups. After the video learning, CAD/CAM knowledge application during the hands-on simulated exercise showed significantly higher results in the intervention group as the assessment scores from the intervention group averaged 13.6 ± 2.0 points higher than the control group (p < .001). The results from the post-instruction SPA survey showed no statistically significant difference between groups.

Conclusion: With the video presentation technique, our first-year dental students were able to greatly enhance their CAD/CAM application skills. The results from this study could be applied at other dental educational institutions with potential similar outcomes.