Effect of an Intraoral Scanner Training Program on Undergraduate Dental Students’ Self-Reported Perceptions: A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Intraoral scanners (IOS) are increasingly integrated into dental curricula, yet evidence on how brief structured training affects novice students remains limited, particularly in resource-constrained settings. This pilot quasi-experimental study evaluated the effect of a structured IOS training program on the self-reported perceptions of undergraduate dental students with no prior IOS experience. Methods: Twenty first- and third-semester students at the School of Dentistry, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (Ecuador), completed a 5-item Likert-type questionnaire (1–9 scale) before and after a training program comprising theoretical instruction and typodont-based practical sessions using a TRIOS 3 scanner (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark). Paired Student’s t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare pre- and post-training scores, and effect sizes (Cohen’s dz for paired samples) were calculated for each dimension. Results: Significant improvements were observed in all five perception dimensions (all p < 0.001): familiarity (mean difference: +3.45; dz = 1.50), comfort (+3.25; dz = 1.40), confidence (+3.70; dz = 1.54), perceived scan accuracy (+3.30; dz = 1.41), and software competence (+3.55; dz = 1.30). Conclusions: Within the constraints of a single-group pilot design, the training program was associated with increases in students’ self-reported perceptions across all five dimensions. These preliminary findings may inform, but do not by themselves justify, decisions on the curricular integration of IOS training. Controlled studies with objective performance outcomes, validated instruments and follow-up assessment are required.