Students' perspective of the teaching-learning process of oral radiology before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) pandemic changed the educational structure of dentistry courses and highlighted the importance of online tools. Understanding students' perception regarding these changes is essential to establishing future teaching-learning strategies to accommodate students' needs in higher education. The aim of this study was to assess students' perceptions of the Oral Radiology teachinglearning process before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of students (n = 111) of the 2nd, 4th and 6th semesters of the dentistry course, who answered a questionnaire with 21 items: A) Students' demographic data (5 questions); B) Students' teaching-learning experiences during the pre-pandemic period (8 questions); and C) Students' teaching-learning experiences during the post-pandemic period (8 questions). Stuart-Maxwell tests revealed statistically significant differences between students' opinions before and during the pandemic when they were asked about the structure of the Oral Radiology module (p = 0.008); their previous experience with e-learning and teaching (p < 0.001); their thoughts about the importance of e-learning in Oral Radiology (p < 0.05); and the time they spent online for academic purposes (p < 0.05). Students seem to prefer on-campus activities (before COVID-19), but the pandemic increased their awareness of the importance of e-learning, the time they spent on online studies, and their knowledge of online educational tools.

A pandemia de SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) mudou a estrutura educacional dos cursos de odontologia e destacou a importância das ferramentas online. Compreender a percepção dos alunos sobre as mudanças vivenciadas é essencial para estabelecer futuras estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem e acomodar as necessidades dos alunos no ensino superior. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a percepção dos alunos sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem de Radiologia Odontológica antes e durante a pandemia de COVID-19. A amostra foi composta por alunos (n = 111) do 2º, 4º e 6º semestres do curso de odontologia que responderam a um questionário com 21 itens: A) Dados demográficos dos alunos (5 questões); B) Experiências de ensino-aprendizagem dos alunos no período pré-pandemia (8 questões); e C) Experiências de ensino-aprendizagem dos alunos no período pós-pandemia (8 questões). Os testes de Stuart-Maxwell revelaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as opiniões dos alunos antes e durante as pandemias quando questionados sobre a estrutura do módulo de Radiologia Odontológica (p = 0,008); sua experiência anterior com ensino a distância (p < 0,001); seus pensamentos relacionados à importância da Radiologia Odontológica via e-learning (p < 0,05); e o tempo gasto online para fins acadêmicos (p < 0,05). Os alunos parecem preferir atividades no campus (antes do COVID-19), mas as pandemias aumentaram sua conscientização sobre a importância do e-learning, seu tempo dedicado aos estudos online e sua familiarização com ferramentas educacionais online.

Students' perspective of the teaching-learning process of oral radiology before and during the COVID-19 pandemic / Perspectiva dos alunos sobre o processo de ensinoaprendizagem em radiologia odontológica antes e durante a pandemia de COVID-19

ABSTRACT The SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) pandemic changed the educational structure of dentistry courses and highlighted the importance of online tools. Understanding students' perception regarding these changes is essential to establishing future teaching-learning strategies to accommodate students' needs in higher education. The aim of this study was to assess students' perceptions of the Oral Radiology teachinglearning process before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of students (n = 111) of the 2nd, 4th and 6th semesters of the dentistry course, who answered a questionnaire with 21 items: A) Students' demographic data (5 questions); B) Students' teaching-learning experiences during the pre-pandemic period (8 questions); and C) Students' teaching-learning experiences during the post-pandemic period (8 questions). Stuart-Maxwell tests revealed statistically significant differences between students' opinions before and during the pandemic when they were asked about the structure of the Oral Radiology module (p = 0.008); their previous experience with e-learning and teaching (p < 0.001); their thoughts about the importance of e-learning in Oral Radiology (p < 0.05); and the time they spent online for academic purposes (p < 0.05). Students seem to prefer on-campus activities (before COVID-19), but the pandemic increased their awareness of the importance of e-learning, the time they spent on online studies, and their knowledge of online educational tools.

RESUMO A pandemia de SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) mudou a estrutura educacional dos cursos de odontologia e destacou a importância das ferramentas online. Compreender a percepção dos alunos sobre as mudanças vivenciadas é essencial para estabelecer futuras estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem e acomodar as necessidades dos alunos no ensino superior. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a percepção dos alunos sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem de Radiologia Odontológica antes e durante a pandemia de COVID-19. A amostra foi composta por alunos (n = 111) do 2º, 4º e 6º semestres do curso de odontologia que responderam a um questionário com 21 itens: A) Dados demográficos dos alunos (5 questões); B) Experiências de ensino-aprendizagem dos alunos no período pré-pandemia (8 questões); e C) Experiências de ensino-aprendizagem dos alunos no período pós-pandemia (8 questões). Os testes de Stuart-Maxwell revelaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as opiniões dos alunos antes e durante as pandemias quando questionados sobre a estrutura do módulo de Radiologia Odontológica (p = 0,008); sua experiência anterior com ensino a distância (p < 0,001); seus pensamentos relacionados à importância da Radiologia Odontológica via e-learning (p < 0,05); e o tempo gasto online para fins acadêmicos (p < 0,05). Os alunos parecem preferir atividades no campus (antes do COVID-19), mas as pandemias aumentaram sua conscientização sobre a importância do e-learning, seu tempo dedicado aos estudos online e sua familiarização com ferramentas educacionais online.

Cone beam CT optimisation for detection of vertical root fracture with metal in the field of view or the exomass.

Dose optimisation has been revisited in the literature due to the frequent use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Although the reduction of the field-of-view (FOV) size has shown to be an effective strategy, this indirectly increases the negative effect from the exomass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of an optimised CBCT protocol in the detection of simulated vertical root fracture (VRF) in the presence of metal in the exomass and/or inside the FOV. Twenty teeth were endodontically instrumented and VRF was induced in half of them. All teeth were individually placed in a human mandible covered with a soft tissue equivalent material, metallic materials were placed at different dispositions in the exomass and/or endomass, and CBCT scans were obtained at two dose protocols: standard and optimised. Five radiologists evaluated the images and indicated the presence of VRF using a 5-point scale. Area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated and compared using ANOVA (α = 0.05). Overall, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between the dose protocols. In conclusion, optimised dose protocols should be considered in the detection of simulated VRF irrespective of the occurrence of artefacts from metallic materials in the exomass and/or inside the FOV.

Dental students' perceptions of case-based learning method and the impact of clinical information in imaging diagnosis.

INTRODUCTION: Education in oral imaging diagnosis is provided early in most dental curricula worldwide. Stressing the importance of clinical and radiographic information for oral diagnosis is of utmost importance for dental students. In this context, active learning methods, such as case-based learning (CBL), represent contemporary tools in the armamentarium of dental education. This study aimed to investigate (a) dental students' perceptions on CBL and (b) the importance of clinical data for image-based diagnosis. METHODS: Fifteen cases of bone lesions were presented to 56 undergraduate students; group 1 (n = 24) was provided with the imaging data alone from each case, while group 2 (n = 32) received clinical information followed by the imaging data. Students' performance and perception on the teaching approach were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Their differential diagnoses for each of the lesions figured as variables to be compared with the known diagnosis. RESULTS: All the students reported a positive experience with the case-based teaching method and confirmed this approach as a valuable tool in dental education. The diagnosis of a simple bone cyst, a periapical cyst or an ameloblastoma improved when they were provided with clinical data prior to the complementary images. No significant difference was detected, however, when the total amount of correct diagnoses were combined together and compared between groups (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Case-based learning was corroborated as an optimal method for educating undergraduate dental students. Clinical data might contribute to diagnostic imaging, especially regarding lesions with multiple differential diagnoses.