The Effectiveness of an Oral Pathology Computer- Assisted Learning Program for Dental Students

Statement of the Problem: During the recent years, new methods of teaching and learning have been introduced for medical and dental students in addition to the traditional teaching techniques. Computer assisted learning (CAL) program is one of these methods which seem to have promising results. Purpose: To compare a computer -assisted learning (CAL) program about oral red and white lesions with a print medium of identical content. Materials and Method: Fifty senior dental students were randomly assigned in a prospective study to either use the CAL program (n=25) or a pamphlet (n=25). After one week since the educational CDs and pamphlets were distributed, both groups were asked to complete the post-intervention multiple choice questionnaire followed by watching 10 clinical slides on oral red and white lesions for 10 minutes. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis. Results: Students in the CAL program group scored higher (16.64) than those in the pamphlet group (13.44) and this difference (3.2 points or 28%) was statist-ically significant ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: The difference in test scores was most likely related to the use of the CAL program and it seems to be a promising medium as an adjunct to other traditional tutorial methods.