The pre-clinical-clinical transition in dentistry is a recognisable matter in dental education that requires assessment and research to ease the management of a stage with relevant influence on educational outcomes. This article presents an initial framework for further research and educational intervention.

The use of 3D vision in a virtual learning environment has a significant positive effect on the performance of the students as well as on their appreciation of the environment.

Context In preclinical dental education, plastic and extracted teeth have been broadly used for skills training without specific focus on the patient behind the procedure. A patient‐centered approach remains challenging in traditional simulation, which does not resemble realistic clinical situations. Objective This article describes the development and first experiences with a patient‐centered virtual reality training module (PC‐VR) that allows dental care providers to prepare, beforehand and in virtual reality (VR), specific procedures required by their patients. Experiences with this patient‐centered practice are described to reflect on its value for clinical training in dentistry. Design Using an intraoral scanner, digital impressions of 10 patients were made; these served as stereolithography (STL) digital files, which were converted into volumetric haptic models for display in a VR dental simulator. In this study, students’ experiences were investigated through a short open‐answer survey in 2018. Atlas.ti was used for qualitative analysis of the answers through the inductive methodology of the grounded theory approach. Results Drillable virtual models of real patients were made available for training using VR. Inductive analysis of the experiences identified 5 dimensions describing the main features of PC‐VR: added value, competence development, self‐efficacy, outcomes, and room for development. Conclusion This article provides a general overview of the possibilities and challenges of the implementation PC‐VR in dental education. Although concrete effects on trainees’ self‐confidence and performance are yet to be determined, all participants appreciated the opportunity to explore clinical situations before experiencing them in the context of a real patient.

The creation and use of virtual teeth in dental education appears to be feasible but is still in development; it offers many opportunities for the creation of teeth with various pathologies, although an evaluation of its use in dental education is still required.