Virtual Reality-Based Technologies in Dental Medicine: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice among Students and Practitioners

Virtual reality-based technologies have been used in dentistry for almost two decades. Dental simulators, planning software and CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) systems have significantly developed over the years and changed both dental education and clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of VRBT among dental students and educators in one European dental school using a paper-based questionnaire and the KAP among students and dental practitioners from 35 countries using an online survey. Dental students, educators and practitioners have overall positive attitudes towards VRBT but very few have used VRBT in education and practice. The majority of respondents plan to use VRBT in their future clinical practice and believe that those technologies will be widely adopted by dental practices within 22 years. Learning about VRBT and using them as part of undergraduate and continued education programmes could affect dental practitioners' willingness to implement new technologies and enhance critical assessment of new trends in dentistry.