Digital technologies have begun their journey in dentistry in recent years. Thanks to this development, clinical practices and laboratory techniques are moving to digital processes. The merging of these digital puzzles into one whole is the logical continuum of this trend - the creation of a 3D virtual patient. In the context of medical education, the virtual patient is defined as an interactive computer simulation of a real-life clinical scenario for the purpose of teaching, learning and evaluation. This review is limited to one area of e-learning in dentistry. It is a fact that few studies have been published as to compare the effectiveness of new virtual and augmented reality systems in dental education. Advanced simulation technology shows the potential to improve training methods and quality. With the widespread adoption and integration of these technologies into the curriculum, students can achieve a higher level of competence before embarking on a clinical practice. Scientific researches will continue to offer a variety of technologies and effective treatments. To take full advantage of modern science, new knowledge and technology must be incorporated into the core of dental education. The aim of this study is to present the advantages and disadvantages of digital technologies and virtual simulators in dental education.
Amderstam, The Netherlands, Yau HT, Tsou LS, Tsai MJ. Octree-based virtual dental training system with a haptic device. Computer-Aided Design & Applications 2006; 3: 415-424
Bateman J, Allen M, Samani D, Kidd J, Davies D. Virtual patient design: exploring what works and why. A grounded theory study. Med Educ. 2013; 47:595–606
Bergeron B, Cline A., An adaptive signal processing approach to online adaptive tutoring. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 2011; 163: 60-64
Cook DA, Triola MM. Virtual patients: a critical literature review and proposed next steps. Med Educ. 2009; 43:303–11
Curnier F. Teaching dentistry by means of virtual reality—the Geneva project. International Journal of Computerized Dentistry 2010; 13: 251-263
Eaton, K.A., Reynolds, P.A., Grayden, S.K. & Wilson, N.H. A vision of dental education in the third millennium. British Dental Journal, 2008, 205: 261–271
Ellaway, R., Candler, C., Greene, P., & Smothers, V. An architectural model for MedBiquitous virtual patients. Baltimore, MD: MedBiquitous, 2006
Ellaway, R. Virtual patients as activities: exploring the research implications of an activity theoretical stance. Perspect Med Educ, 2014, 3(4), 266-277
Feeney L, Reynolds PA, Eaton KA, Harper J. A description of the new technologies used in transforming dental education. British Dental Journal 2008; 204: 19-28
Huwendiek S, De Leng B, Zary N, Fischer MR, Ruiz JG, Ellaway R. Towards a typology of virtual patients. Med Teach. 2009; 31:743–8
Katase, H., Kanazawa, M., Inokoshi, M. & Minakuchi, S. Face simulation system for complete dentures by applying rapid prototyping. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2013, 109: 353–360
Kau, C.H. Creation of the virtual patient for the study of facial morphology. Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America, 2011, 19: 615–622
Kim L, Hwang Y, Park SH, Ha S. Dental training system using multi-modal interface. Computer-Aided Design & Applications 2005; 2: 591-598
Lefroy J, Brosnan C, Creavin S. Some like it hot: medical student views on choosing the emotional level of a simulation. Medical Education 2011; 45: 354-361
Luciano CJ. Haptics-based virtual reality periodontal training simulator [Master’s thesis]. Champaign, IL: Graduate College of the University of Illinois; 2006. Accessed at: www.evl.uic.edu/files/pdf/LucianoThesis.pdf
Nara N, Beppu M, Tohda S, Suzuki T. The introduction and effectiveness of simulation based learning in medical education. Internal Medicine 2009; 48: 1515-1519
San Diego JP, McAndrew P. The feasibility of capturing learner interactions based on logs informed by eye-tracking and remote observational studies. Journal of Interactive Media in Education 2009; 4: 1-15
Schönwetter DJ, Reynolds PA, Eaton KA, De Vries J. Online learning in dentistry: an overview of the future direction for dental education. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation 2010; 37: 927-940
Steinberg AD, Bashook PG, Drummond J, Ashrafi S, Zefran M. Assessment of faculty perception of content validity of PerioSim©, a haptic-3D virtual reality dental training simulator. Journal of Dental Education 2007; 71: 1574-1582
Tse B, Harwin W, Barrow A, Quinn B, San Diego JP, Cox M. Design and Development of a Haptic Dental Training System—hapTEL [conference presentation]. EuroHaptics Conference; 2010 Jul 8-10
Virtual Reality Dental Training System (VRDTS). Novint Technologies, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Accessed (2011 Jan 10) at: http://home.novint.com/products/ medical_dental.php
Yau HT, Tsou LS, Tsai MJ. Octree-based virtual dental training system with a haptic device. Computer-Aided Design & Applications 2006; 3: 415-424
