A comparison of video-based and slide-based teaching before hands-on rubber dam application: A quantitative and qualitative study.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Instructional videos may demonstrate the execution of complex clinical procedures and the cooperation between members of the dental team better than traditional slide-based teaching materials. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of a procedural video on student ratings to a traditional still-image-based presentation in a course on rubber dam application. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, parallel arm design, participants (46 dental students) completed a seven-item, five-step Likert-scale questionnaire at baseline (t1), after a video-based or slide-based demonstration of rubber dam application (t2) and after hands-on training (t3). The students' judgement on the benefits of rubber dam (items 1-3), their motivation to use rubber dam (item 4), their self-efficacy (items 5-6) and their expected use of the teaching material (item 7) were assessed. Changes in the students' individual answers were analyzed for each item and comparison between intervention groups made. Moreover, the impact of the teaching format on in-class discussions was analyzed qualitatively using a thematic approach RESULTS: Both interventions arose comparable significant improvement in the students' Likert-scale ratings from t1 to t2, and again from t2 to t3. No significant differences between intervention groups were found in the students' ratings or in the qualitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Procedural videos have proven to be a valuable learning aid in a variety of teaching formats, but in the context of a live lecture, they may not constitute an improvement over traditional text- and still-image-based presentations.