Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool for Microscopic Dental Anatomy

Introduction: Storytelling is an important technique in the process of learning and understanding (Abrahamson CE, 1998). The new dental program at the International Medical University incorporates diverse student-centered pedagogy to stimulate learning. Storytelling was used for learning microscopic dental anatomy – generally perceived as a dry subject. Objective: To investigate the merits of using storytelling as an adjunct in the teaching of microscopic dental anatomy. Methods: Storytelling was introduced to the second cohort of 44 Year 1 dental students at the commencement of the dental histology theme and implemented during the first part of a problem-based learning (PBL) session. Inquiries and identification of learning issues were an integral part of the session after listening to the story. The second PBL session was then carried out in the usual prescribed manner. An evaluation was performed on students' acceptance, perceived benefits and satisfaction in learning the subject using a 13-item questionnaire on a Likert-scale of 1 to 5. This was carried out on the first cohort of 38 students unexposed to storytelling as well as the second cohort. An overall satisfaction score was obtained. The performance of both cohorts in the in-course assessment of the subject was compared. Results: Students in the storytelling group (ST) had higher satisfaction score than those without (nST). Out of 13 items, 8 showed statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.001). The in-course assessment marks for the ST group (average 75.6%) were much better compared to the nST group (average 61.3%). In general, students have found storytelling to be very engaging. It helped them bridge the gap between theoretical learning and real-life scenarios, connecting them with lasting impressions. Conclusion: Storytelling adds another dimension to teaching and is a valuable adjunct to the teaching of seemingly dry dental science subjects, such as dental histology.