Background/Objectives: Appropriate use of a dental mirror (MT) is essential for dental treatment. However, because the mirror image differs depending on the operator’s position, there are few effective tools available to train dental students and inexperienced dentists. To address this issue, a new virtual reality (VR) system was developed. Methods: Eighty-seven participants, including instructor dentists, graduate students, trainee dentists, and dental students from Niigata University, participated in the experiment. The participants manipulated the virtual dental mirror (DM) connected to three-dimensional (3D) control devices while wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) to simulate an intraoral examination and caries removal. The distance between the center of the DM and the caries, area ratio of the caries on the DM, ellipticity of the caries image, and manipulation time were measured and compared between groups. Results: The mean distance between the centers was 1.18 mm for instructor dentists and 1.56 mm for the students (p = 0.003; effect size, 0.48). Instructor dentists demonstrated significantly superior performance in all evaluation categories compared to the other groups. This suggests that the level of clinical experience affected the results. Conclusions: The newly developed VR system can quantitatively and objectively evaluate DM manipulation. Differences in the operator’s clinical experience led to variations in the techniques used for mirror image confirmation and DM manipulation. This VR system enables quantitative feedback by outputting images from the HMD to a monitor. Therefore, it has the potential to evolve into an unprecedented training tool for dental students or trainees.

Aims: Dental procedures involve intricate techniques that can be challenging to visualize, often hindering imitation and assessment. In this study, the impression-taking performance of abutment teeth was quantitatively analyzed to create objective indexes for dental skill education. Methods: Participants were divided into two groups of different clinical experience levels: 10 dentists and 10 dental students. An aluminum model of abutment teeth was employed to simplify the experiment. An optical motion capture system (VICON, Oxford, UK) measured participants’ movements. The impression accuracy, time length on the analyzed section, impression material pouring speed, total amount of impression material used, and syringe tip trajectory were evaluated. Fisher’s exact test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare the two groups’ results (?=0.05). Results: In the dentist group, there were few apparent failures and a high impression accuracy. The amount of impression material dispensed tended to be larger in the dentist group, with longer practice time and slower syringe movement speed. This suggested that the inexperienced participants were sufficiently unable to pour out the impression material. The syringe tip trajectories were not significantly different between the groups. An instructor’s advice is often limited to abstract feedback; therefore, specific suggestions might assist in effective skill education. Conclusion: It is possible to quantitatively analyze impression-taking performance and provide helpful information for dental skill education by using this system.

Aims: Dental clinical skills include subtle techniques, such as applying an appropriate amount of force depending on the procedure. This study investigated the training effects of using pressure sensors on force magnitude control during the dental procedure. Methods: Forty-two dental trainees participated in this study. The experimental task was a fit test, assessing the pressure contact of a denture against the mandible. The force applied by each participant was measured using a modified mannequin equipped with a digital force gauge. Fit test training was performed under conditions specifying the presence or absence of fit test material and various degrees of force, with 50 N set as the standard. After training, the ability to control force magnitude was statistically evaluated by examining the error between the specified and actual values. Results: The presence of the fit test material did not affect the force magnitude, and the time required decreased in proportion to the number of trials. Initially, not all participants were able to apply 50 N without special instructions. However, after training, the measured values exceeded 50 N. The error from the target value was significantly larger when 70 N was designated compared to 50 N. Errors between the specified and actual values obtained at 30–60 N exhibited a decreasing trend in each successive cycle. Conclusion: Visualized numerical data are effective for developing practical force control. This form of experiential learning may contribute to the early retention of basic dental skills.