Performance and perceptions of dental students when using a haptic simulator for tooth preparation for a metal-free crown

Objective: To describe the performance and analyze the perceptions of dental students at a private university in Metropolitan Lima when using a haptic simulator for the tooth preparation of a metal-free crown in the posterior region. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and observa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pichilingue-Orbe, Angie Patricia, Alata-Palacios, Diana Valeria, Merejildo-Luna, Alessandra Camila, Chávez-Alayo, Pablo Armando, Fukuhara-Nakama, Mary Isabel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:Perú
Institución:Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Repositorio:Revistas - Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.upch.edu.pe:article/6531
Acceso en línea:https://revistas.upch.edu.pe/index.php/REH/article/view/6531
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:entrenamiento simulado
tecnología háptica
destreza motora
educación en odontología
realidad virtual
simulation training
haptic technology
motor skills
dental education
virtual reality
treinamento simulado
tecnologia háptica
educação em odontologia
realidade virtual
Descripción
Sumario:Objective: To describe the performance and analyze the perceptions of dental students at a private university in Metropolitan Lima when using a haptic simulator for the tooth preparation of a metal-free crown in the posterior region. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study. Twenty-seven students participated, performing tooth preparation for a metal-free crown on a lower molar using the Simodont® Dental Trainer haptic simulator. Performance was evaluated using a rubric with six parameters (maximum score of 20 points), and the activity was classified as passing (≥11) or failing (<11). Perception of the simulator’s usefulness was measured using a five-point Likert-type survey. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using nonparametric tests (p < 0.05). Results: 66.67% of the students failed the overall assessment of manual dexterity. Occlusal wear had the highest percentage of unacceptable results (70.37%), and 100% of the participants affected the adjacent teeth. In contrast, the convergence angle showed 74.07% satisfactory results. The overall perception of the simulator was positive (median = 4). Significant associations were found between performance in occlusal wear and the perception of similarity to the actual dental turbine (p = 0.041) and handle control (p = 0.043), as well as between the convergence angle and manual comfort (p = 0.010). Conclusions: Although students reported a favorable perception of the haptic simulator, technical performance was predominantly suboptimal. These findings suggest that a positive perception does not necessarily translate into immediate competence. Haptic simulation should be integrated in a structured and progressive manner into preclinical training, always incorporating instructor feedback.