Haptic Simulators in Anaesthesia: a Randomized Cross Sectional Study

Objectives: The primary objective of this trial was to evaluate students' acceptance of conventional learning methods compared to a blended approach incorporating virtual reality simulators. Additionally, the study aimed to compare the effectiveness of these methods in teaching students how to administer local anaesthesia.
Methods: A randomised cross-sectional study involving 50 third-year dentistry students was designed in the University of Valencia, in Spain. Participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) (n=25), which utilised the haptic simulator alongside conventional learning, and the control group (CG) (n=25), which followed traditional methods. The conventional learning consisted of practicing the anesthetic technique on phantom heads in the laboratory. Both groups completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions, attitudes, and motivation regarding the learning methodologies, measured using a Likert scale. The first anesthesia performed by the students on a real patient was monitored and evaluated by a professor to check whether they used the direct or indirect technique.
Results: In the EG, 96% of students reported better assimilation of concepts when using simulators. All participants (100%) expressed interest in incorporating simulators into their learning process, and 92% reported high levels of satisfaction with the practice sessions involving simulators. Self-confidence in performing local anaesthesia on a real patient was significantly higher in the EG, with students demonstrating greater precision in needle insertion, both statistically significant results (p<0.05). Furthermore, 80% of the EG successfully performed the anaesthetic direct technique on their first attempt, compared to only 53% in the CG.
Conclusions: The dental haptic simulator provides a reliable and effective method for enhancing technical skills and improving dental anaesthesia training. Students highly accept blended learning approaches incorporating virtual reality, it increases motivation, and enhances their confidence in clinical practice.