Student perception about clinical simulation in dentistry: cross-sectional study at undergraduate level
Keywords:
clinical simulation; dentistry; student perception; pre-clinical training; EcuadorAbstract
Introduction: training of dental professionals faces the challenge of balancing theoretical education with the development of practical skills and essential clinical competencies. Clinical simulation is a key active methodology in dental education, especially in resource-limited settings.
Objective: to evaluate the perception of usefulness/satisfaction of students of Dentistry at the Bolivarian University of Ecuador related to clinical simulation as an educational tool.
Methods: a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 281 students from the first to the fifth semester, selected for convenience. A validated questionnaire was applied, which included closed questions with Likert scale and open questions to collect suggestions. The quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the qualitative responses were coded and categorized.
Results: 69,7% of the students reported being very satisfied/satisfied with the clinical simulation and the improvement in practical skills, while open-ended responses revealed a need to increase the frequency and diversity of sessions. Limitations in access to more complex simulations were identified in the first semester.
Conclusions: we evaluated the perception of usefulness/satisfaction of clinical simulation as a satisfactory tool for the development of practical skills in preclinical training. This result surpasses previous studies in similar contexts, highlighting its value even with basic resources.
Downloads
References
1. Rodríguez González AM, Martínez Cervantes EA, Garza Garza GG, Rivera Cavazos A. Satisfacción en simulación clínica en estudiantes de medicina. Educ Med Super [Internet]. 2021 Sep [citado 2025 Oct 03]; 35(3): Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0864-21412021000300011&lng=es. Epub 01-Sep-2021.
2. Villca S. Simulación clínica y seguridad de los pacientes en la educación médica. Clinical simulation and patients security in medical education. Rev. Cien. Tec. In. [online]. 2018, vol.16, n.18 [citado 2025-10-03], pp.75-88. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.bo/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2225-87872018000200007&lng=es&nrm=iso. ISSN 2225-8787.
3. Grandez Gomez KE. Simuladores en odontología y la formación de habilidades clínicas: Un diálogo permanente. Odontol Sanmarquina [Internet]. 2021 Jul. 1 [cited 2025 Sep. 12]; 24(3):261-7. Available from: https://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/odont/article/view/20717
4. Simulación clínica en Odontología. Odontología Vital [Internet]. 2017 June [cited 2025 Sep 12]; (26): 4-4. Available from: http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1659-07752017000100004&lng=en.
5. Michalón Acosta R, Michalón D D, Mejía Gallegos C, López Fernández R, Palmero Urquiza D, García Saltos M. El aprendizaje basado en problemas en la educación odontológica. Medisur [Internet]. 2017 Jun [citado 2025 Sep 12]; 15(3): 297-303. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1727-897X2017000300003&lng=es.
6. Matías ML. Impacto de la simulación clínica en la educación en odontología: Una reflexión actualizada. ARS MEDICA Revista de Ciencias Médicas Volumen 49 número 4 año 2024. ISSN: 0719-1855. Dirección de Extensión y Educación Continua, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
7. McGaghie WC, Issenberg SB, Petrusa ER, Scalese RJ. A critical review of simulation-based medical education research: 2003-2009. Med Educ. 2010 Jan;44(1):50-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03547.x. PMID: 20078756. Disponible en: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03547.x
8. Campello Trujillo LE, Capote Fernández MM. La educación en el trabajo fuente activa de habilidades en la formación profesional del estomatólogo. Sal. Cienc. Tec. [Internet]. 2022 [citado 2025 Mayo 06]; 2:13. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.56294/saludcyt202213
9. Lema Gutiérrez JL, Garzón Bernal D, Alea González M. Conjunto de datos sobre la percepción estudiantil de la simulación clínica en la formación odontológica de pregrado en la universidad Bolivariana del ecuador. Zenodo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17296679
10. Tan SHX, Ansari A, Ali NMI, Yap AU. Simulation design and students' satisfaction with home-based simulation learning in oral health therapy. J Dent Educ. 2021 Jun; 85(6):847-855. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12576. Epub 2021 Mar 4. PMID: 33660871. Disponible en: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.12576
11. Higgins D, Hayes M, Taylor J, Wallace J. A scoping review of simulation-based dental education. MedEdPublish (2016). 2020 Feb 27; 9:36. doi: 10.15694/mep.2020.000036.1. Disponible en: https://www.mededpublish.org/manuscripts/3278
12. Amaya A A. Simulación clínica y aprendizaje emocional. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [Internet]. 2012 Oct [cited 2025 Oct 03]; 41(Suppl 1 ): 44-51. Available from: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-74502012000500006&lng=en.
13. Valencia Castro J L, Tapia Vallejo S, Olivares Olivares S L. La simulación clínica como estrategia para el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en estudiantes de medicina. Investigación educ. médica [revista en la Internet]. 2019 Mar [citado 2025 Oct 03]; 8(29): 13-22. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-50572019000100013&lng=es. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riem.2016.08.003.
14. Matiz Camacho Hernando. La práctica de la simulación clínica en las ciencias de la salud Una moda o un imperativo ético. Rev. Colomb. Cardiol. [Internet]. 2011 Dec [cited 2025 Oct 03] ; 18( 6 ): 297-306. Available from: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-56332011000600001&lng=en.
15. Díaz Agea JL, Pujalte-Jesús MJ, Leal Costa C. Simulation teaching in times of confinement. How to transform clinical simulation into an online format in a university Health Sciences context. Anales Sis San Navarra [Internet]. 2020 Ago [citado 2025 Oct 03]; 43(2): 273-276. Disponible en: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1137-66272020000200019&lng=es. Epub 25-Ene-2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.23938/assn.0865.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 José Luis Lema Gutiérrez , Diego Garzón Bernal, Mariana Alea González, Alain Manuel Chaple Gil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors retain all rights to their works, which they can reproduce and distribute as long as they cite the primary source of publication.
The Rev Cubana Estomatol is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) and follows the publication model of SciELO Publishing Schema (SciELO PS) for publication in XML format.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Download PDF
