Effectiveness of Periodontal Flap Surgery Multimedia Instructional Program Compared to Standard Lecture

The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge and skill performance obtained by dental students exposed to two different instructional modalities for periodontal flap surgery: a Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL) multimedia software program and traditional lecture. In this experimental study, fifty volunteer fourth-year dental students with similar grade point average (GPA) scores, with the age range of 22 to 27 years, were divided into two groups (n=25). They all completed a pretest. The test group used a multimedia software, while the control group attended a lecture with the same educational content. Immediately after the lecture and after the students of the soft-ware group have finished watching the program, they completed a test consisting of 14 questions. Then, they were all assigned to perform some skills of periodontal flap surgery on an animal model. The performance of each student was assessed using a questionnaire of 13 items. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, Fisher's exact test, and Pearson's chi-squared test. There were no differences in prior knowledge between the two groups at the baseline. The software group had a final average exam score of 12.8+1.50, and the lecture group had an average score of 10.24+1.36; the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The CAL group had superior performance in some skills related to periodontal flap surgery (9.98+4.63 and 4.26+4.07, respectively; P<0.000). The multimedia software program can be used as an adjunct to traditional education or as a means of self-instruction in teaching periodontal flap surgery techniques.