The dentistry students’ experiences of training with Simodont® compared to traditional pre-clinical training.

Background Virtual reality simulators have added a more realistic aspect of the preclinical dental training. They have been used to enable a smooth transition from the preclinical to clinical training and thus increased patient safety. However, the effect of an additional training using these virtual reality simulators remain unclear. Aim To examine the 2nd- and 3rd-year dentistry students’ experiences of training with Simodont® and to compare their preparation performances with those of a control group with traditional pre-clinical training only. Methods A group of 2nd-year dental students performed drilling exercises on Simodont® while another group of 3rd-year dental students had a trepanation exercise on Simodont®. Their performances were assessed and their answers of the questionnaires were compared with a control group from the same grade that had not been allowed any additional training on the Simodont®. Results The 2nd-year Simodont participants showed up to 40% improved performance in their final manual test results compared to their test results from baseline. The 3rd-year Simodont participants showed unchanged manual results after the additional training on the Simodont®. According to the questionnaire, 89% of both 2nd- and 3rd- year of Simodont participants did not think that Simodont® should replace traditional preclinical training. Conclusions The 2nd-year Simodont participants felt more confident about performing the final drilling test than the control group. However, the Simodont group of the 3rd-year dental students felt less confident about performing the final trepanation test compared to the control group according to the questionnaire