The dentist will scan you now: The next generation of digital‐savvy graduates

Abstract

Introduction Undergraduate dental curriculum consisting of digital tools is essential in today’s era of modern dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate final‐year undergraduate dental students’ perception of using intraoral scanners and the feasibility of increasing exposure to intraoral scanners in their undergraduate programme. Materials and methods Forty students volunteered to complete one maxillary conventional and optical impression (TRIOS 3, 3Shape A/S). Questionnaires were used to assess their familiarity, perceived confidence levels, difficulties and user‐friendliness of each technique using a visual analogue scale prior to and after experiencing each impression technique. Results Students felt more familiar with conventional (C) than digital (D) impressions (P = .00). Their pre‐confidence level was also higher with the conventional method (C: 80.9 ± 15.5; D: 39.6 ± 25.5); however, the post‐confidence level significantly increased for the digital impression technique (P = .00). Participants perceived conventional technique to be easier (P = .02) and faster than optical impressions (P = .03). User‐friendliness of the intraoral scanner scored moderate (67.7 ± 22.9). The difference in the mean total working time was not significant (P = .05). Forty per cent of participants indicated that they preferred using the digital impression technique. Conclusions Although final‐year undergraduate students still perceived the conventional impression technique to be easier and faster than digital scanning, there was a significant increase in the level of confidence by this cohort after only one occasion of clinical optical impressions. Undergraduate dental students are ready to uptake new technology, and it should be strongly considered to incorporate more digital scanning during their training.

Clinical Evaluation of Resin Composite CAD/CAM Restorations Placed by Undergraduate Students

“…For future clinical studies, it could be recommended to run customized training programs for undergraduate students depending on the individual level of skill and the IOS system in use. This might reduce the level of difficulty and the scanning time and might increase the accuracy of the scans [9][10][11][12][13][15][16][17][46][47][48]50].…”

“…The scanning time and difficulty level decreased with the repetitive use of IOS. Other authors found that students roughly take the same amount of time for digital impressions but take significantly more time for a conventional impression in comparison with graduated dentists [12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, the learning curve for dental students can be different depending on the used IOS system [16,17].…”

Effect of Impression Technique and Operator Experience on Impression Time and Operator‐Reported Outcomes

“…Intraoral scanners (IOS) are increasingly used in dentistry for digital scans which avoid the challenges in clinical and laboratory steps of conventional techniques and improve patient comfort. Also, the scans and bite registrations can be digitally stored 2–12 . However, higher cost of the IOS and software and the learning curve are disadvantages of digital scanning, 10,13 and conventional impressions are still more commonly used 10,14–16 …”

“…In some previous studies, inexperienced dental students preferred IOS over conventional impressions 4,6,7,12 and the learning curve for IOS was reported to be shorter and easier for young dentistry students compared to older dentists 10,17–19 . This was attributed to the fact that the current generation of dental students frequently use digital technologies in their daily life 3,12,20–22 .…”

“…In some previous studies, inexperienced dental students preferred IOS over conventional impressions 4,6,7,12 and the learning curve for IOS was reported to be shorter and easier for young dentistry students compared to older dentists 10,17–19 . This was attributed to the fact that the current generation of dental students frequently use digital technologies in their daily life 3,12,20–22 . However, some clinicians, both in private practice and institutional settings, may resist adopting digital scanning for personal reasons, financial considerations, 21,23 and practical and social concerns with the learning curve 10,21,23,24 .…”