Evaluating VR Dental Chair Teaching: Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and TAM

Objectives: Virtual reality (VR) technology, with its high interactivity and immersive simulation, is increasingly adopted in educational settings. Previous studies indicate that VR can significantly enhance learning outcomes, especially in professional training for medical and dental fields. This study developed a mobile VR system to help dental hygiene students explore a virtual dental treatment chair, learn instrument operation, and understand clinical scenarios. The purpose was to compare the learning effects of VR-based instruction versus traditional teaching, while examining the influence of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) on learning outcomes.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial recruited 48 students from the Department of Dental Hygiene at Taipei Medical University. Participants were randomly assigned to the VR-based learning group (15-minute session, n=24) or the instructor-led demonstration group (15-minute session, n=24). A self-designed questionnaire was used to assess students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and TAM-related factors. The questionnaire demonstrated excellent content validity (CVI=0.978) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha=0.88).
Results: The VR group showed a significantly greater improvement in knowledge (p=0.0013). Although both groups exhibited increased self-efficacy, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. TAM analysis revealed that PEOU positively influenced PU (p<0.001), and there was a mutual impact between knowledge and self-efficacy (p=0.0191; p=0.0050). However, no significant correlations were observed between PEOU, PU, and either knowledge or self-efficacy.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that VR-based instruction can enhance learning flexibility and efficiency, exerting a positive impact on students’ learning outcomes. Nonetheless, traditional teaching methods remain indispensable in providing a well-rounded dental hygiene education.