Tooth Anatomy Inspector: A comprehensive assessment of an extended reality (XR) application designed for teaching and learning of root canal anatomy by students

Abstract

AIM: To develop and evaluate a suitable software application for mobile devices designed for teaching root canal anatomy to undergraduate students in an informative and engaging manner. METHODOLOGY: Extracted human teeth were scanned by μCT and digitized by converting into STL files. An extended reality (XR) application illustrating the root canal anatomy of the scanned teeth was developed. Prior to deployment, undergraduate dental students were voluntarily asked about their expectations regarding an educational application on tooth anatomy. After a testing phase of the application on a mobile device and within a virtual reality environment, a subsequent evaluation was conducted to assess their overall experience in relation to their initial expectations. Data were analysed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Mann-Whitney U test. The level of significance was set to .05 (p = .05). RESULTS: The application was able to meet the expectations of the students in all categories (p < .466-.731). Furthermore, it was evaluated as user-friendly (98.2%) and highly motivating for the purpose of learning more on root canal anatomy (100%). CONCLUSION: Given the overwhelmingly positive reception from undergraduate dental students, the application emerges to be a promising supplementary teaching method for the endodontic curriculum.