Traditional Hands-On Puzzle Method versus Fully Digital Approach in Teaching Tooth Morphology: A Comparative Study of Educational Outcomes

Abstract

Objective: Tooth morphology education is a critical component of dental curricula, providing a foundational understanding of the intricate structural anatomy of teeth. This study evaluates the learning outcomes in relation to tooth morphology of two student cohorts from different academic terms, comparing the traditional ‘tooth puzzle’ method to an alternative fully digital approach. Materials and Methods: Two groups of Master of Dentistry students were retrospectively analyzed. The control group (55 students) was taught via the ‘tooth puzzle’ method in 2021, while the experimental group (55 students) underwent a fully digital course in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Both groups completed a digital examination involving the identification of 40 teeth, presented as images and videos. Results: In the control group of 55 students, nearly half (49.1%) achieved faultless results, while 65.5% had at most two faults, and 74.5% had no more than four faults. The group had a total of 163 faults, averaging 3.0 per student, with only one student (1.8%) failing the test. In stark contrast, the experimental group had no students without faults, 9.1% had four or fewer faults, and a significant 61.8% made 10 or more faults, with 29.1% failing their first test attempt by exceeding 12 faults. Overall, the experimental group registered 582 faults, averaging 10.6 per student. Conclusions: The ‘tooth puzzle’ method, with its interactive and tactile elements, proved more effective in teaching tooth morphology than the digital-only approach. The increased number of faults and failed tests in the experimental group suggest that while digital tools offer meaningful support in learning tooth morphology, their main advantage is seen when coupled with traditional hands-on techniques, not unassisted and independently.