Comparison of Video-assisted Instruction and Conventional Teaching Method’s Effects on Students’ Performance in Root Canal Obturation during COVID- 19 Pandemic

Background: The purpose of root canal treatment is to prepare the root canal and obturate the entire the root canal reliably. The traditional method of teaching endodontics to dental students is the live conventional demonstration (CD)., Video –assisted clinical instruction in dentistry (VACID) is an educational tool that uses video-images to complement dental education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of VACID and CD on the performance of dental students in obturating the root canal. Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, thirty undergraduate dental students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2021 were included in the study. They were equally divided in to three groups(n=10). and received instructions on root canal obturation via CD, VICAD and CD plus VICADThen, two endodontists evaluated the clinical performance of the students based onfinal radiographs of obturated root canals.blindly . Each student's score was calculated from 20.  Data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed by ANOVA and Chi-square tests. Results: The mean± standard deviation(SD) grade point average (GPA) of students were not significantly different from each other (P = 0.398). The mean score of students' performance in all groups was not significantly different from each other (P> 0.05). The mean score of students' performance in terms of their gender in all three groups was not significantly different from each other (P> 0.05). The mean score of students' performance in terms of GPA in terms of evaluating teachers was not significantly different from each other (P> 0.05). Conclusion: The use of new educational methods, such as the production of educational videos, will be as effective as the usual demonstration methods for the performance of dental students during corona virus pandemic.