Clinical simulation in teaching preclinical dentistry.

Current and projected approaches to dental education have created a wide interest in clinical simulation, and recently there has been a considerable expansion in the availability of experiential learning tools which imitate "real life" clinical conditions in dentistry. These include patient simulation devices such as heads, jaws, teeth and clinical environments, standardized patients, interactive video-discs and computer-based instruction. This paper reviews some of the equipment currently available for simulation of clinical procedures, and assesses the initial experiences and responses of 2nd, 3rd and 4th year undergraduate dental students at The University of Melbourne to case-based simulations in a patient simulator in comparison with preclinical exercises in a traditional bench and manikin laboratory. Student response to teaching and learning in the simulator over a 3-year evaluation period, collected via a student questionnaire was uniformly positive. Students were very enthusiastic about the learning environment and educational approach, preferring it to traditional preclinical laboratory instruction.