The effects of COVID-19 are far-reaching. Governments around
the world have instructed the closing of educational institutions to contain
the spread of the coronavirus. This has since brought about an abrupt
transition from conventional to digital teaching and learning, which has posed challenges to both educators and
students. The availability of Internet offerings and digital know-how has
now become the most demanding requirement.
It is true that dental education is not limited to on-campus
learning. Virtual learning, to a large extent, has allowed great flexibility
and comfort, as well as increased inclusivity and accessibility. Online
teaching is an effective solution by connecting people at different locations
through interactive lectures and tutorials. Dentists can utilise this
technology to share their knowledge and expertise with the world while
maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality.
However, despite of the fact that online dental education is becoming increasingly popular, there remain challenges that need to be addressed before it can be considered a viable way to learn dentistry. Particularly, dentistry is a profession that requires face-to-face interaction.
While teledentistry
facilitates remote dental care and education via the use of information
technology, the common teledentistry practice of using video conferencing is
not an optimal solution as it does not provide the same personal connection nor
establish trust like in-person treatment does.
The next challenge is to impart practical and clinical knowledge virtually. At present, both basic and clinical subjects apply case-based, objective structured clinical examinations and 3D or virtual reality models for online teaching and learning. However, when the students do not have access to patients and appropriate clinical equipment, they may not be able to have best practice on what they have learned.
It is advised that direct
face-to-face contact with patients remain as it is the best way dentists can properly
diagnose dental problems and perform treatments. In the absence of patients,
examinations could be performed on dental models, typodonts, and phantom heads
with water inlets to simulate a patient's oral cavity. It might not be the best
option, but it is a viable alternative.
Due to COVID-19, educators around the world have been put to
the impromptu task of teaching dentistry virtually, a course that was initially designed to be taught face-to-face
and inherently concerning the improvement of clinical skills. The
current system of teaching dentistry virtually, however, lacks the possibility
of giving students hands-on experience. They do not get a chance to work with
patients and practise what they have learned in their classrooms. The new hybrid model of dental education — online
and real time – will enable students to get the best of both worlds.