Impact of COVID-19 on Teaching the Tooth Morphology Course to the New Generation of Learners: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, to evaluate students’ learning style and relate it to their academic performance. Second, to highlight changes implemented in the tooth morphology (TOMO) course as a response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and methods: The study was performed during 2021–2022 with 101 dental students. Didactic lectures were delivered online and students challenged with nine quizzes and one final examination. Didactic score was calculated by averaging the scores of quizzes and the final exam. Lab score was a combination of five lab projects and the final competency. At course completion, students received a survey on their learning style and how they would like to receive feedback. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences in didactic and lab scores among groups. Results: Many students perceived themselves as visual learners (39%) followed by kinesthetic (24%), aural (19%), and reader (18%). There was no difference among learning style groups in performance of didactic (p = 0.340) and lab scores (p = 0.845). Students preferred that the instructor talks them through the questions for feedback on quizzes (41%) while they preferred demonstrations when receiving feedback on their wax-ups (51%). Most students (75%) preferred a TOMO teacher that uses demonstrations. 2020–2021 marked the year of the pandemic where all lectures were delivered online and waxing projects were performed at-home. A postpandemic transformation occurred during 2021–2022, reverting to conventional in-person lab sessions while keeping online didactic lectures. Conclusion: We conclude that TOMO should be delivered by using various teaching styles rather than focusing on a single method while providing more demonstrations.