Attempt to build a new educational system using VR in the era of coronavirus

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K17218
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57080:Social dentistry-related
• Research Institution: The Nippon Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Tohara Takashi 日本歯科大学, 生命歯学部, 講師 (40468773)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: VR / ミールラウンド / 病院実習 / 学生教育 / 歯科訪問診療

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research aims to synchronize cervical auscultation sounds as audio data with a video of a feeding and swallowing function evaluation filmed using a 360-degree camera, and to present it to students using VR equipment to simulate actual clinical practice. The aim was to build an educational system that provides hands-on training in the field. Targeting students who actually do hospital training at our clinic, we had them perform both VR training and dental home visit training, then conducted a free-text questionnaire survey for each training, and examined the results using text mining. The most frequently extracted word after the dental visit training was "patient" and during the VR training it was "sound."
Based on the results of this study, we believe that VR training has made it possible to obtain an experience that is more similar to that of a surgeon.

Free Research Field

高齢者歯科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

VR実習は実際の臨床現場に立つことはないため、新型感染症の感染拡大などの社会的な影響を受けることはなく、教育機会の不均衡を生むことはない。それに加えて一定の学習効果があることから、今後歯学生の臨床体験の一環として、カリキュラムに加えていくことで教育の場所や時間を問わず様々な現場を体験することができるようになると考える。