The application of digital technology in preclinical education for graduate students majoring in oral implantation

To discuss the application of digital technology in the education of implant dentistry.

According to the teaching method that combines case-, problem- and team-based learning, a course on implant theory was carried out in a class of 20 students. Then, all the students in this class were divided into two groups to receive two clinical operation training courses. The first was the training of a free-hand implant, and the second was an implant operation under a digital template. The courses introduced digital technology into preclinical education and simulated implant training. After the two courses, students were organized to analyze the accuracy of the implant, the operation time and the experiences of these two courses. Through the comparison of students′ operations of free-hand and template implants, students could analyze their own faults and propose a method of improvement. The students scored the two classes.

Through the two classes, all the students completed the implant operation under the guidance of a template and free-hand method and found their own problems and solutions. The combination of theory and practice deepened the students′ understanding of the teaching content. Finally, the classes were graded comprehensively by students, showing that the students′ satisfaction with the digital template class was higher than that with the free-hand class (P < 0.05).

The addition of a digital implant technology class significantly improved students′ comprehensive assessment, improved the teaching effect and was more acceptable to students in terms of gaining additional professional skills.