The impact of reflex-based recreational activities and preclinical training on psychomotor skills in an educational dental environment

Abstract

Background: Participating in recreational activities from a young age may have the potential enhance psychomotor skills early on, and conversely, low levels of participation in these activities may predict slower development of preclinical hand skills. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the eye-hand coordination benefits of leisure and reflex-based activities to those of typical instructional techniques among dental students. Data sources: The databases used were PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Study selection: Ten articles were selected from a total of 1135 articles found across three databases. Data extraction: The articles were screened by four investigators through a series of steps in accordance to inclusion and exclusion criteria and rid of any duplicates. Data synthesis: The majority of the 10 featured articles were conducted in the United States. All of the research included was cohort observational studies. This systematic review includes a total of 1975 participants from the publications selected for this purpose. Results: Manual dexterity may be taught and improved by practice, and tests designed to measure it should be used primarily to pinpoint which students would benefit most from individualized, close supervision during their education. Conclusion: Researchers found that reflex-based activities helped students develop better hand-eye coordination in a classroom setting. However, more precise dental-related tests and questionnaires can always be developed through further study; doing so would yield a wealth of information that would be immensely useful to the dental sector.