Evaluating the Effectiveness of Screen-Based Haptic Virtual Reality Simulators in Preclinical Prosthodontic Crown Preparation: A Mixed-Methods Analysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND: Crown preparation is a technically demanding psychomotor skill in undergraduate dental education. While traditional typodont training is the gold standard, it is resource-intensive and difficult to individualize. Screen-based haptic virtual reality simulators (HVRSs) may provide a pedagogical adjunct to conventional training, but their effectiveness in supporting transfer of skills to physical tooth preparation remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether 3 hours of self-directed HVRS training improved undergraduate dental students' performance in physical typodont crown preparation compared with no HVRS training. Secondary aims were to examine self-confidence and students' perceptions of HVRS-based training. Manual dexterity was assessed exploratorily using the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT). METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted with 44 fifth-semester dental students at Karolinska Institutet. Participants were allocated to an HVRS training group (n=22) or a control group (n=22). The HVRS group completed 3 hours of self-directed HVRS training over 1 week, whereas the control group received no simulator-based training. Both groups then prepared a maxillary right first molar for a monolithic zirconia crown on a phantom head. Crown preparation quality was assessed using PrepCheck, and a blinded examiner scored 8 areas of interest on a 0-3 grading scale. Manual dexterity was assessed using the GPT. Self-confidence was evaluated in both groups using survey items, while perceptions of the HVRS were evaluated only among HVRS group participants. Free-text responses from the HVRS group were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The HVRS group achieved a higher mean total preparation score than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (11.9 vs 10.9; P=.24). In unadjusted analyses, the HVRS group scored higher for total occlusal convergence (P=.04), but this difference did not remain statistically significant after Bonferroni correction for 8 area-of-interest comparisons. Manual dexterity measured by the GPT improved in both groups, but the control group was significantly faster at baseline (P=.04) and postintervention (P=.001). Self-confidence ratings were broadly similar between groups; very low confidence was reported by 5% (1/20) of respondents in the HVRS group and 18% (4/22) in the control group. Most HVRS group respondents rated the HVRS drilling sensation as having limited comparability with typodont teeth and natural teeth. Qualitative responses suggested that students valued the HVRS for understanding procedural steps, applying theoretical knowledge, and allowing repeated practice, while reported challenges included limited realism, visual-tactile disconnect, and occasional technical issues. CONCLUSIONS: Three hours of self-directed HVRS training did not significantly enhance overall crown preparation quality on typodont teeth or improve students' general self-confidence. There is preliminary indication that HVRS could assist in mastering specific geometric parameters like total occlusal convergence. Future randomized controlled trials with stratified baseline dexterity and larger sample sizes are required to determine the optimal role of HVRS in dental education.

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