Comparative Effectiveness of 3D Anatomy Software and Selected Traditional Materials in Teaching-Learning of Neuroanatomy and Head-Neck Anatomy: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Abstract

Traditional teaching materials in Anatomy, like cadavers, prosected specimens, models and illustrations have their respective issues of strengths and weaknesses, especially in dealing with complex three-dimensional spatial relationships. This quasi-experimental study was performed in the department of Anatomy, Bangladesh Medical University, Bangladesh from March 2025 to February 2026 to compared 3D Anatomy software (Complete Anatomy) against selected traditional materials (3D illustrations and 3D plastic models) for teaching Neuroanatomy and Head-Neck Anatomy. In the quasi-experimental study, 60 undergraduates from each of two medical colleges not yet exposed to Neuroanatomy or Head-Neck Anatomy were invited and divided into 'Experimental' and 'Control' groups by selecting alternate students. The 'Experimental group' was taught 10 micro-modules of Neuroanatomy or Head-Neck Anatomy using a 3D Anatomy software. The 'Control group' was taught the same using selected traditional materials- 3D illustrations or 3D plastic models. The experimental group using 3D Anatomy software obtained significantly higher overall score and scores across the 10 micro-modules compared to the group taught using 3D illustrations or 3D plastic models. The experimental group achieved significantly higher median scores (30.00 vs. 24.00, p=0.001) across 10 micro-modules, suggesting interactive 3D Anatomy software is superior for short-term knowledge acquisition in complex regions in Neuroanatomy and Head-Neck Anatomy.