GAMIFICATION AS A LEARNING RESOURCE FOR DENTISTRY STUDENTS – EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching in higher education is challenging, especially in the undergraduate Dentistry course since the transition between theory and practice is delicate. Gamification is a new learning approach that can be useful in several situations. Objective: To report the perception of Dentistry students regarding a gamified activity developed to address the topic of Bruxism. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a group of students from a Dentistry course. The students were randomly distributed in groups and received a printed crossword puzzle with questions about Bruxism. The groups would compete against each other to answer the questions. After that, the students were invited to answer a questionnaire about their experience perception. The students could indicate the following answers for each sentence: a. Totally agree; B. Agree c. Indifferent; d. Disagree, and e. Totally disagree. In addition, we propose that the students give their opinion on the activity if they wish. The obtained data were organized and statistically analyzed. Results: Ninety-one dentistry students participated in the research, 71 females (78.0%) and 20 males (22.0%). The general positive perception regarding the activity was higher than 82.0% for all sentences. One hundred percent of the students totally agree or agree that the perception that the activity aroused curiosity about the topic and was motivating.  Conclusion: The main conclusion of this study was that the new approach made the bruxism topic more attractive, stimulating, and motivating for students.