Evaluation of dental students’ tooth preparation skills using conventional phantom labs versus advanced simulation technologies: a comparative study

Abstract

Background: Preclinical training is essential in dental education for developing psychomotor and clinical skills. Conventional phantom models are widely used, though they lack real-time tactile feedback. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of conventional phantom training with that of advanced simulation-based systems in improving dental students’ tooth preparation skills. Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 40 s-year dental students (N = 40) with no prior experience in simulation. Participants were randomly assigned to either conventional phantom training or virtual reality (VR) based simulation. Both groups received 10 h of training. Pre- and post-tests involved preparing tooth 46 with a chamfer finish line. Performances were assessed using five criteria: parallelism, occlusal reduction, taper angle, finish line standardization, and presence of undercuts. Each was scored on a 0–10 scale by a blinded evaluator. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA with post hoc tests at a significance level of p