A comparison of virtual reality and three‐dimensional multiplanar educational methods for student learning of cone beam computed tomography interpretations

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare student learning of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) interpretation using immersive virtual reality (VR) and three‐dimensional multiplanar (MP) reconstructions. Methods Sixty first‐year dental students were randomly allocated to two groups, VR and MP, and underwent a one‐on‐one educational intervention to identify anatomic structures using CBCT data. All participants completed three multiple‐choice questionnaires (MCQs) before (T1), immediately after (T2), and 2 weeks following (T3) the intervention. Additionally, pre‐survey, post‐survey, NASA Task Load Index (NASA‐TLX), and presence questionnaires were completed. Analysis of objective measures of performance on MCQs and subjective data from the questionnaires was completed (α = 0.05). Results There was a significant increase in test performance and informational recall between T1–T2 and T1–T3 for VR and MP groups (p