Trial reportBMC medical education2025
Virtual reality simulation for learning minimally invasive endodontics: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluating the effects of adjunct VR-haptic simulator practice in preclinical restorative training and predicting student performance using machine learning: a randomized controlled trial.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Digital Intelligence in Dental Education: A Bibliometric Analysis.International dental journal · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLearning minimally invasive endodontic techniques presents unique challenges, requiring precise tooth structure preservation and strong spatial awareness. This study evaluated a clinically realistic virtual reality (VR) simulator, featuring eye-tracking feedback and automated outcome scoring, as an innovative tool to support student learning in minimally invasive endodontics.
methodsA prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted with 30 fourth-year preclinical dental students assigned to either a VR group (n = 15) or a standard phantom head (PH) group (n = 15). The VR system featured high-fidelity dental arch modeling, dual haptic devices, a head-mounted display with eye-gaze and tool trajectory tracking (mirror and handpiece), and automated outcome scoring. All students completed three 1-hour training sessions and performed both Traditional Access Cavity (TradAC) and Conservative Access Cavity (ConsAC) techniques. The primary outcome was tooth volume loss assessed via micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Secondary outcomes included procedural error scores (rated by blinded experts) and task completion time. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests evaluated pre-post differences. A split-plot ANOVA analyzed training method (between-subjects) and access technique (within-subjects).
resultsSignificant improvements were observed across all outcomes in both groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant main effect of training method or interaction. A significant main effect of access technique was found for tooth volume loss (F(1,28) = 10.46, p = 0.003) and task completion time (F(1,28) = 6.86, p = 0.014), favoring ConsAC.
conclusionThis study supports the feasibility of automated virtual reality (VR) simulation as a scalable and effective tool to support student learning in minimally invasive endodontic procedures within preclinical dental education.
trial registrationThis randomized controlled trial was registered on 29 April 2025, at the TCTR registry with the study registration number TCTR20250502004.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.