ArticleJournal of dental education2026
Impact of Virtual Patient-Based Learning on Temporomandibular Disorder Knowledge Among Dental Students: A Pre-Post Study.
Article in Journal of dental education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Integrating virtual patient-based learning into temporomandibular disorder education improves educational and behavioral outcomes.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
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2 authors.
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Abstract
objectivesTemporomandibular disorders (TMD) are common in dental practice, yet dental students report limited confidence and competence due to insufficient clinical exposure during predoctoral training. Virtual patient-based learning (VPBL) may enhance experiential learning; however, its impact on clinically relevant educational outcomes remains underexplored. This study evaluated whether a TMD-specific VPBL educational intervention improves dental students' diagnostic and management performance, self-perceived confidence, and knowledge.
methodsThis quasi-experimental pre-post study included 83 fourth-year dental students at Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments consisting of five Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)-style case scenarios evaluating TMD-related diagnostic and management skills. Between assessments, students reviewed 15 TMD virtual patient cases. Performance was scored using a predefined rubric across diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic reasoning, management appropriateness, justification for additional testing, and understanding of systemic/local factors influencing TMD (0-10 scale, 10 = "higher performance"). Secondary outcomes included confidence in 12 TMD-related skills (0-10 scale) and retrospective pre/post self-perceived knowledge (1-4 scale, 4 = "higher knowledge"). Changes were evaluated using paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.
results100% of the students completed both assessments. Overall performance improved significantly post-intervention (8.3 ± 1.4 vs. 9.4 ± 0.8, p < 0.001, effect size = 0.64), with gains observed across all domains (all p's < 0.05). Self-perceived knowledge increased significantly (2.6 ± 0.7 vs. 2.9 ± 0.6, p < 0.001, effect size = 0.70). Overall confidence in TMD-related skills was moderate (5.3 ± 1.7) and positively correlated with post-intervention knowledge (r = 0.70, p < 0.001).
conclusionsA TMD-specific VPBL educational intervention was associated with significant improvements in diagnostic and management performance and self-perceived knowledge, supporting its utility as an educational strategy to enhance TMD predoctoral curricula.
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