Education Technology in Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
Assunta Patano, Nunzio Cirulli, Matteo Beretta, Paola Plantamura, Alessio Danilo Inchingolo, Angelo Michele Inchingolo, Ioana Roxana Bordea, Giuseppina Malcangi, Grazia Marinelli, Antônio Scarano, Felice Lorusso, Francesco Inchingolo, Gianna Dipalma
Abstract
Over the last decade, medical education changed from traditional teaching methods to telematic and networking scholar and e-learning approach. The objective of the present systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness and teachers/student's acceptability of e-learning applied to the field of orthodontics and paediatric dentistry. A database search of the literature was conducted on PubMed and Embase databases from January 2005 to May 2021. A total of 172 articles were identified by the electronic search, while a total of 32 papers were selected for qualitative analysis. Overall, 19 articles investigated the effectiveness of e-learning, and no difference of acceptability was reported between e-learning and traditional methods for a wide part of the articles selected. A total of 25 papers provided a satisfaction questionnaire for learners and all were positive in their attitude towards e-learning. The results showed that e-learning is an effective method of instruction, complementing the traditional teaching methods, and learners had a positive attitude and perception. The evidence of the present study reported a high level of acceptability and knowledge level of e-learning techniques, compared to frontal lecture methods, in the fields of orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.