3D printing as a tool in anatomy teaching: An integrative review

Anatomy is essentially a three-dimensional content and learning its structures, through 3D impressions, for example, is of notable importance. In this context, traditional teaching methods, despite being highly effective, still have some limitations. Therefore, 3D printing has been introduced in the teaching of Anatomy, bringing several advantages, such as accuracy, personalized study and easy handling. Based on these premises, the objective of this work was to carry out an integrative review on the use of 3D printing in the teaching of human anatomy. A study was carried out in science direct, PUBMED, Scielo databases between 2010 and 2021 using the following descriptors 3D printing and teaching of anatomy. It was found that among the benefits of using 3D parts, there are: accuracy, durability, ease of production, good cost-benefit ratio and reduction of security risks linked to the fixation of cadaver and plastinated specimens. It was observed that in some studies most students preferred the use of 3D printing to traditional methods. Other studies have shown the importance of the use of 3D printing as a complementary tool to traditional methods of teaching anatomy. It was found that the use of 3D printing as a teaching tool may reduce the demand for bodies and overcome some of the governmental legal and ethical problems in the cadaver study, further studies should be carried out to assess the long-term impact of using 3D printing