Background: Learner agency involves students actively engaging in their learning process and shaping their educational experiences through autonomy, self-regulation, and decision-making. In professional education, particularly within health professions, learner agency is critical for fostering adaptability and lifelong learning. This scoping review explores how learner agency, alongside concepts such as self-regulated learning and self-directed learning, is addressed in undergraduate dental education, aiming to understand its implications and strategies for enhancing student agency in this context. Methods: The scoping review examined literature on self-regulated learning, self-directed learning and learner agency in undergraduate dental education from 1994-April 2024 across five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest Central, and Web of Science. A manual search of the cited references was also conducted. Relevant studies were screened, and the findings were summarized to offer a comprehensive overview and identify research gaps. Results: In total, 33 studies were included in the review. The results revealed a strong interconnection between intrapersonal, behavioral, and contextual dimensions in shaping learner agency through self-regulated learning and self-directed learning among undergraduate dental students. The studies analyzed, predominantly quantitative, highlighted the multifaceted relationships among self-regulated learning and self-directed learning and learner agency, emphasizing its significance for educational practice and policy. Conclusions: Self-regulated learning and self-directed learning are crucial for developing learner agency, aiding undergraduate students’ transition into independent professionals and fostering lifelong learning behaviors. Educational strategies should prioritize empowering students to become independent learners, reducing their reliance on faculty. Further research is needed to identify effective methods for promoting learner agency development among dental students.

This review aimed to map taxonomy frameworks, descriptions, and applications of immersive technologies in the dental literature. The Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines was followed, and the protocol was registered at open science framework platform (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/H6N8M). Systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases, and complemented by manual search. A total of 84 articles were included, with 81 % between 2019 and 2023. Most studies were experimental (62 %), including education (25 %), protocol feasibility (20 %), in vitro (11 %), and cadaver (6 %). Other study types included clinical report/technique article (24 %), clinical study (9 %), technical note/tip to reader (4 %), and randomized controlled trial (1 %). Three-quarters of the included studies were published in oral and maxillofacial surgery (38 %), dental education (26 %), and implant (12 %) disciplines. Methods of display included head mounted display device (HMD) (55 %), see through screen (32 %), 2D screen display (11 %), and projector display (2 %). Descriptions of immersive realities were fragmented and inconsistent with lack of clear taxonomy framework for the umbrella and the subset terms including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), augmented virtuality (AV), extended reality, and X reality. Immersive reality applications in dentistry are gaining popularity with a notable surge in the number of publications in the last 5 years. Ambiguities are apparent in the descriptions of immersive realities. A taxonomy framework based on method of display (full or partial) and reality class (VR, AR, or MR) is proposed. Understanding different reality classes can be perplexing due to their blurred boundaries and conceptual overlapping. Immersive technologies offer novel educational and clinical applications. This domain is fast developing. With the current fragmented and inconsistent terminologies, a comprehensive taxonomy framework is necessary.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of community‐based dental education (CBDE) on the learning experiences of undergraduate dental students and recent dental graduates from two diverse geographical regions. Methods: The study followed a cross‐sectional design, conducted online using Google Forms, with ethical approval from Qatar University. A non‐probability purposive sampling method was used to recruit dental students and recent graduates from three institutions in India and one in Qatar. A questionnaire based on 20 closed‐ended items and two open‐ended questions, developed by a team of dental academics, was used for data collection. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and thematic analysis for open‐ended responses. Results: The study included 148 participants, with 116 female (78.37%) and 32 male (21.62%) students, mostly from India (75%) and the rest from Qatar (25%). ANOVA revealed significant differences based on age, country and stage of education ( p < 0.001). Dental interns had the highest mean score (1.12 ± 0.8), while Year 2 students had the lowest (0.75 ± 1.08). Female participants had a slightly higher mean score (1.05 ± 0.77) than male participants (0.92 ± 0.98), although this difference was not statistically significant ( p = 0.127). Key challenges included inadequate support and cultural barriers in India, and conflicts with religious obligations and didactic workload in Qatar. Recommendations focused on enhancing field activities, logistical support and mentorship programmes. Conclusions: The study shows that dental students value CBDE for developing essential skills for community engagement. However, challenges differ across socio‐cultural contexts, highlighting the need for more localised and supportive frameworks to improve CBDE experiences. The variation in student perceptions by age, education stage and country suggests that CBDE strategies should be flexible and adaptable to address the diverse learning needs of students.

Choosing an appropriate prosthetic material for the superstructure of an implant-supported or tooth-implant supported fixed partial denture (FPD) is crucial for the success of the prostheses. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of prosthetic material type and tooth-to-implant support on stress distribution of FPDs using three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA). Two FEA models were generated, distinguished by their support configurations: Model I representing an FPD supported by implants, and Model II depicting an FPD supported by both a tooth and an implant. Two different restorative materials, porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) and monolithic zirconia, were evaluated for stress distribution under axial and oblique loads of 300 N applied to the pontic. Under both axial and oblique loading conditions, the maximum von Mises stress values were observed to be higher in the implant-abutment complex of both zirconia implant-supported and tooth-implant-supported FPDs compared to PFM FPDs. In the case of axial loading, comparable stress values were found in the cortical bone for PFM (12.65 MPa) and zirconia implant-supported FPDs (12.71 MPa). The zirconia tooth-implant-supported FPD exhibited the highest stress values in the implant-abutment system.

The aim of this study is to investigate how hydrogen peroxide (HP) treatments affect enamel porosity and protein structure, as well as their impact on tooth shade and hardness over time. Fifty healthy teeth were collected from adult patients. Teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups, the first was incubated with 30 % HP while the second, the control group, was incubated with distilled water (DW). Tooth shade and enamel microhardness were evaluated using a digital spectrophotometer and a Vickers tester, respectively, at different time intervals after treatment. The specific surface area of the enamel was measured using a surface area analyzer and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation. Protein structure was analyzed using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Shade analysis revealed that, in the short term, HP treatment significantly increased lightness and Hue and decreased chroma compared to DW (p < 0.05); however, 1 week after treatment some of the initial gains in tooth lightness were partially lost. Hardness analysis revealed significant decreases in microhardness in the bleached group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). BET analysis revealed that HP treatment increased enamel surface area and reduced its average pore size. CD and DLS analyses showed that proteins from HP-treated teeth mostly adopted a non-random conformation and had smaller average protein sizes compared to the control. HP treatment lightened tooth shade and significantly reduced enamel microhardness over time. This could be related to changes in surface area and porosity caused by denaturalization of the enamel proteins. Our findings showed that HP induced denaturation of enamel proteins, resulting in increased enamel porosity and reduced microhardness. These changes in enamel properties could help explain clinical complications observed with these treatments such as increased sensitivity.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the role of community‐based dental education (CBDE) in shaping professional identity (PI) among predoctoral dental education students at a newly established dental college. Materials and Methods: Qualitative methods employing focus groups were used for data collection. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants meeting predefined eligibility criteria. Separate focus groups were planned for each cohort, and the aim was to recruit 6–10 participants for each focus group. The study adopted a subject‐centered sociocultural approach and thematic analysis to explore participants’ experiences highlighting how CBDE may contribute to PI development in predoctoral dental education. Results: A total of 19 predoctoral dental students participated in three separate focus groups, comprising six students from Year 3, seven students from Year 4 and six students from Year 5. Deductive thematic analysis mapped CBDE activities across the four PI development dimensions: personal, clinical, interpersonal, and cultural. In the personal dimension, participants emphasized the role of self‐confidence and self‐reflection in their professional growth. The clinical dimension highlighted the development of decision‐making and technical skills through direct patient interaction. The interpersonal dimension underscored the importance of mentorship and teamwork in improving communication and problem‐solving skills. Exposure to diverse patients enhanced cultural competence, thus enabling tailored and sensitive care. CBDE supported all dimensions, facilitating PI development in predoctoral dental education. Conclusion: CBDE plays a vital role in shaping PI by enhancing confidence, clinical expertise, decision‐making, communication, and cultural competence. These experiences prepared students for the complexities of contemporary dental practice and diverse healthcare environments. Despite the benefits of CBDE, challenges such as close supervision, balancing outreach programs with academic demands, and addressing resource limitations in diverse settings were noted.