EC Dental Science

Objective: To explore the application of VR technology in the teaching of oral implantology.

Methods: Twenty students who have taken oral and maxillofacial surgery and oral implantology will be taught in a class. The selected students need to have some basic knowledge of oral anatomy. The first phase starts with traditional classroom teaching based on books, video recordings, animated demonstrations, flip charts, models, etc. and a course quiz and a course questionnaire are needed to be completed at the end of the class. In the second phase, VR oral implants will be taught and the course quiz and course questionnaire will be required again at the end of the class. A group discussion will be held for the students after the class to share their experiences and feelings in order to further analyze the advantages and disadvantages of VR technology in teaching oral implantology.

Results: Through the VR implant course, students get more hands-on opportunities. The combination of theory and practice deepened the familiarity with the implantation process and the control of the details of the implantation process. After the VR planting instruction, students' performance improved compared to the first stage and the evaluation of the VR course showed that the students were satisfied with the VR-guided oral implant course and had a good learning effect. The group discussion at the end of the course also showed support and expectation for VR teaching, but students believed that VR teaching could not completely replace hands-on practice, and that the immersive experience lacked some clinical specificity and response to unexpected situations.

Conclusion: In the era of rapid technological development, the application of VR technology in the teaching of oral implantology is promising. At the time of 5G popularization and epidemic normalization, virtual reality technology provides a positive help in teaching oral implants.

Keywords: Oral Implantology; Virtual Reality; Teaching Methods; University Education; Implant Training

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