Three-dimensional replica of the temporal bone in the teaching of human anatomy

Purpose The current study proposes the comparison of the visualization and identification of anatomical details between natural human temporal bone, its respective copy from three-dimensional printing, and the virtual model obtained from CBCT. Methods The sample consisted of undergraduate students in Dentistry (Group UE, n = 22), Postgraduate students in Radiology and Imaging (Group P-RI, n = 20), and Postgraduate students in Forensic Odontology (Group P-FO, n = 24). All participants attended a theoretical class on specialized anatomy of the temporal bone and subsequently performed the markings of 10 determined structures. Results The number of correct identifications was similar in natural bone and printed three-dimensional models in all groups ( p > 0.05). The virtual model showed a significantly lower number of correct structures ( p