Assessment of the impact of a semi-immersive virtual reality simulation software in panoramic radiography training.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) simulations in improving learning outcomes in dental radiology in panoramic radiography.

Methods: Thirty-two volunteer dental students (1st and 2nd year of study) had the same theoretical lecture about panoramic imaging. For practical training, students were randomly divided into 2 groups: G1: traditional educational method and G2: VR (Qbion AB software). Panoramic images of 2 anthropomorphic phantoms using a VistaVoxS 3D device were acquired. The type and number of positioning errors and the need for a retake were evaluated by one Oral Radiology teacher and one senior radiographer in consensus. To test the retention of knowledge, students from both groups had to identify the absence or presence of positioning errors. Data obtained were evaluated by a descriptive analysis and it considered the frequency of the categorical variables.

Results: The positioning error rate was higher for G1 (62.50%). Type error 3 (Patient's chin raised too high) was the most prevalent (47.06%) among the groups. The retake rate among all students was similar (25%). G2 was more able to detect patient's positioning errors (68.8%) than G1.

Conclusions: The semi-immersive VR software demonstrated potential benefits for dental students. VR tools could be integrated into Oral Radiology preclinical simulations as an additional educational tool to help reduce patient positioning errors in panoramic radiography.

Advances in knowledge: This study highlights the effectiveness of semi-immersive VR in improving dental students' ability to detect and prevent positioning errors in panoramic radiography. VR training enhances knowledge retention and supports its integration into preclinical education as an additional educational tool to optimize radiographic training.