Comparing Training of "Lasers in Dentistry" by Two Mobile-based and Booklet Approach Training Methods in Dentistry Students

This study aimed to investigate Moodle mobile educational application, which can be run in Android and ios operating systems for improving knowledge regarding laser applications among the students of dentistry. A total of 59 subjects were selected from the dentistry students of first academic semester in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran who chose the course of practical oral diseases. The participants were divided into two groups. First, the pretest was conducted and the basic knowledge of the students regarding laser application in dentistry was evaluated. Next, Moodle mobile software was introduced during a half of a semester to the students of the test group and they learned how to work with it in a workshop held at the beginning of the semester. Afterwards, Moodle mobile was installed on their mobile phones. On the other hand, the participants in the control group were trained by booklet. In both groups, the knowledge of the students in terms of the application of laser in dentistry was evaluated pre- and post-intervention. All the data were analyzed by McNemar test, paired t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test using SPSS software version 19 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). The mean scores of the students trained by the booklet changed from 7.3 pretest to 13.9 post-intervention, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). Furthermore, the mean scores of students trained by software increased from 7.8 pre-intervention to 16.6 post-intervention. The latter alteration was found to be statistically significant (P<0.001). The post-intervention mean scores in the software and booklet groups were 16.6 and 13.9, respectively. The difference between these mean scores was statistically significant (P<0.001). According to the results of this study, both software and booklet training methods elevated the knowledge of dentistry students concerning the application of lasers in dentistry. However, the educational software was revealed to be significantly more effective than the booklet.