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A scoping review of the use and application of virtual reality in pre-clinical dental education

British Dental Journal volume 226, pages 358–366 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction Virtual reality (VR) is gaining recognition as a valuable tool for training dental students and its use by dental schools around the world is growing. It is timely to review the literature relating to the use of VR in dental education, in order to ensure that educators are well-informed of current areas of inquiry, and those requiring further investigation, to enable appropriate decisions about whether to employ VR as a teaching tool. Method A scoping review using the method outlined by Arksey and O'Malley was conducted. Both Web of Science and ERIC databases were searched. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established to filter results. The data were collected and categorised using a custom data collection spreadsheet. Results The review identified 68 relevant articles. Following review, four educational thematic areas relating to the 'simulation hardware', the 'realism of the simulation', 'scoring systems' and 'validation' of the systems emerged. Conclusion This paper summarises and draws out themes from the current areas of inquiry in the literature, uncovering a number of weaknesses and assumptions. It recommends areas where additional investigation is required in order to form a better evidence base for the utility of VR in dental education, as well as to inform its future development.

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Declaration of interests

The research team hold an active R&D collaboration with Haptique & Réalité Virtuelle, Laval, France that is part-funding a PhD studentship for the lead author, Ashley Towers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Teacher in Dental Skills Simulation & Informatics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Ashley Towers

  2. Senior Specialist Clinical Teacher in Restorative Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    James Field

  3. Professor of Digital Learning and Dental Education, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Christopher Stokes

  4. Senior Lecturer in Computing Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Stephen Maddock

  5. Professor of Restorative Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Nicolas Martin

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Towers, A., Field, J., Stokes, C. et al. A scoping review of the use and application of virtual reality in pre-clinical dental education. Br Dent J 226, 358–366 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-019-0041-0

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