Introduction of a Digital Diagnostic Tool in Orthodontic Teaching-A Comparison of Digital and Conventional Model and Cephalometric Image Analysis in Students.

Abstract

Introduction: Digital technologies are playing an increasingly significant role in everyday university life, offering a broad spectrum of possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning. In contrast to orthodontic clinical practice, however, university-level courses for dental students continue to rely predominantly on analogue diagnostic methods. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether the integration of digital media in teaching increases student motivation and whether comparable or improved diagnostic outcomes could be achieved.

Material and methods: In this hypothesis-generating study, 80 students assessed a cephalometric radiograph and a dental model both digitally and using traditional analog methods, with a 2-week interval between the sessions. Following the second session, participants completed a questionnaire evaluating their experiences with both approaches including their motivation associated with each learning method. Primary and secondary endpoints were summarized descriptively. Considering the cross-over design of the study, a linear mixed-effects regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether the digital and analog methods yielded comparable learning effects, as assessed by various parameters, including ANB. The model incorporated a random intercept for each participant.

Results: The assessment outcomes for both diagnostic tools were comparable across the two methods. Notably, the digital evaluations tended to deliver more accurate results and were completed in significantly less time. The questionnaire showed that the students were more enthusiastic using digital methods during university lessons.

Conclusions: Students' subjective motivation in the field of orthodontics has increased significantly as a result of the digital analysis. The time saving was significant, which was mentioned in the evaluation as particularly positive. Students were able to achieve comparable or even better results when using the digital web tool to evaluate teleradiographic images and orthodontic models.