Comparison of Virtual Blended Learning with Workshops on Dental Student's Knowledge of and Attitude toward Caries Risk Assessment

Advancement in technology and the combination of traditional and new methods can promote education. The purpose of the present study was to compare knowledge and attitude of dental students regarding caries risk assessment (CRA) after a course using blended learning and traditional workshops.
A controlled trial was designed and 82 final-year dental students were recruited in two groups of workshop (n = 39) and blended learning (n = 39). In the blended group, access to a designed website and online material was possible in addition to face-to-face education. A validated researcher-made questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.7) was used to assess demographic information, and knowledge of and attitude toward CRA before and after the educational course. The mean score of knowledge before and after the course was calculated and compared between the two groups using paired t-test and repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS software.
Of the 82 students, 78 (95%) participated in the study. The mean score of knowledge in post-test in the group attending workshops was (13.35 ± 1.61) significantly higher than pre-test (7.00 ± 3.06) (P Both methods significantly improved knowledge and attitude of students regarding CRA. The students believed the blended learning method to be useful in CRA. Thus, the use of this method is recommended as a complementary teaching method for general dentistry students.