Enhancing Dental Education: Impact of Remote Teaching on Dental Students' Academic Performance in Orthodontics-A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE Remote teaching strategies have been widely adapted in recent years but their impact on dental students' learning outcomes is less well understood. The aim of this mixed-method pilot study was to examine the impact of remote teaching on undergraduate dental student's learning outcome as assessed by examination performance and student feedback in an orthodontics course.METHODS Out of the lectures (19 in total), 10 were delivered remotely (live online lecture or video recording) and 9 as traditional classroom teaching in 2023. The course examination, completed by 47 of the 48 course participants, consisted of 38 single best answer multiple choice questions with 2 questions dedicated to each lecture topic.RESULTS The average lecture attendance was 83% of the students enrolled in the course. Statistical analysis revealed no significant association between examination scores and the mode of teaching or the mandatory nature of the lecture (rs = -0.022, p = .897 and rs = -0.048, p = .773, respectively). However, individual students' examination scores correlated positively with the frequency of lecture attendance (rs = 0.416, p = .004). Students' preferences were in favor of blended learning approach, although notable individual differences in opinions were observed in the feedback received.CONCLUSION The findings of this study support the hypothesis that remote teaching generates an equally good learning outcome in orthodontics as classroom lectures, as reflected by examination performance.