Local Anesthesia Teaching Methods: Comparison of Traditional Student-to-Student and Simulation Manikin Training on Dental Hygiene Students’ Skill Level and Self-Confidence

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced dental educators to quickly modify curricula.Objectives: This study compared two local anesthesia (LA) teaching methods (student-to-student versus simulation) in two cohorts pre- and post-pandemic to assess students’ skill level and self-confidence. Methods: This study recruited a convenience sample of 57 dental hygiene students at the University of Minnesota. Summative clinical assessments measured skill level and student surveys assessed self-confidence. Analyses included descriptive statistics and generalized linear models within and between cohorts, and inductive analysis for qualitative survey responses. Results: Fifty students (88%) completed the survey and 54 (95%) consented access to their clinical assessments. Skill level was significantly higher for the simulation cohort and no differences were found in self-confidence between cohorts. A positive association was found between students’ self-confidence and skill levels for both cohorts, but only student-to-student cohort results were statistically significant. Conclusion: Results support incorporating simulation manikin teaching methods for LA.