JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mastering complex psychomotor skills is essential in undergraduate dental education, yet traditional live demonstrations face limitations such as high instructor to student ratios and restricted viewing angles. Pre recorded video demonstrations offer scalable, repeatable instruction and the ability to integrate multimedia cues, but may lack real time interaction and immediate feedback. Limited evidence compares these teaching modalities, particularly regarding gender differences, in restorative dentistry skill acquisition.

Objective:

This study aimed to (1) compare first year dental students’ knowledge acquisition and procedural performance following a live versus a pre recorded video demonstration of a Class II amalgam restoration, and (2) evaluate whether gender influences outcomes within each demonstration method.

Methods:

Fifty-one students enrolled in an “Introduction to Operative Dentistry” course (AY 2024–2025) participated in this cohort study. The students were randomized into live demonstration (LD, n = 26) or video demonstration (VD, n = 25) groups. Both groups received identical lectures and demonstrations of a standardized class II cavity preparation and amalgam restoration. Knowledge was assessed via pre and post-procedural multiple-choice questionnaires, and procedural performance was graded by two blinded raters using a 10-point rubric. Student perceptions were measured with an 8-item Likert survey. Mixed ANOVA, independent and paired t-tests evaluated between and within group differences; gender analyses used factorial ANOVA. Inter-rater reliability was confirmed (ICC = 0.991).

Results:

Baseline knowledge scores did not differ between groups. Post demonstration knowledge was significantly higher in LD (71.2 ± 17.3) than VD (58.4 ± 21.7; P = 0.024, Cohen’s d = 0.65). LD method demonstrated significant within-group improvement (P < .001, d = 0.83). Procedural grading favored LD (8.3 ± 0.9 vs. 7.9 ± 1.0), however, results were not statistically significant (P = .078, d = 0.50). No significant differences were found in the student perceptions’ survey. Gender analysis revealed male students in LD achieved higher post-knowledge scores (74.0 ± 12.3 vs. 55.0 ± 24.3; P = 0.030), greater score improvements (P = .028) and higher grading scores (8.5 ± 0.6 vs. 7.6 ± 1.3, P = .034) compared to VD; no significant differences were observed among females.

Conclusions:

Live demonstrations yielded superior knowledge acquisition and showed a trend toward better performance compared to video demonstrations, particularly for male students. Video demonstrations remain a viable alternative when supplemented with interactive elements and instructor feedback. Blended teaching models integrating live and video methods may optimize the demonstration experience for the students, thus enhancing the learning outcomes. Clinical Trial: Registration: Study number: NRR25/018/1, IRB approval: 00000104425.