Application of Social Media as a Supporting Tool in the Teaching and Learning Process of Dentistry Students

NCT07184359 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: CAAE: 74616923.5.0000.5147
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to explore dental students' perceptions of the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in supporting the teaching and learning process, particularly within the university setting. It seeks to identify gaps at the interface between information gathering, education, and ICT, providing valuable insights into students' awareness and acceptance of the content they access. The findings are expected to contribute to optimizing the use of ICT as an educational support tool, strengthening the curriculum, and preparing future dentists to better understand the interaction between ICT and teaching. Ultimately, this will help foster a generation of more qualified professionals.

Conditions

Social Media; Dental Education and Teaching Learning Processes

Keywords

Social Media; Dental Education; Radiology; Information and Communication Technology; Teaching Learning Processes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Overall OSCE Score

  The study will use the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess students' clinical competencies in a standardized and objective manner. Participants will rotate through five consecutive stations designed to evaluate specific skills under controlled conditions. One active station will involve performing a periapical radiograph while following biosafety, radioprotection, and processing protocols. Four passive stations will focus on case analysis, interpretation, and clinical decision-making. Each station will include a structured checklist with predefined criteria and will be scored from zero to 100, with 100 being the best result. All participants will complete the stations in the same sequence, and the final score will be calculated by summing the points obtained and dividing by the number of stations, providing a standardized performance score, with the best result corresponding to the highest score.

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Active Station Score

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

• First Passive Station Score

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

• Second Passive Station Score

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

• Third Passive Station Score

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

• Fourth Passive Station Score

  The assessment will be conducted at the end of each academic semester, specifically in the 15th week after the beginning of the semester, in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

Study Arms (3)

Traditional Learning Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Teaching-learning process carried out without the inclusion of supplementary content on social media platforms.

Behavioral: Traditional Learning

Passive Social Media Supplement Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Teaching-learning process supplemented with content passively accessed through social media.

Behavioral: Traditional Learning; Behavioral: Passive Social Media

Active Social Media Engagement Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Teaching-learning process supplemented with content actively produced and shared through social media.

Behavioral: Traditional Learning; Behavioral: Passive Social Media; Behavioral: Active Social Media

Interventions

Traditional Learning BEHAVIORAL

All participants will have access to the conventional teaching-learning process (lecture-based classes). These theoretical classes will be delivered as part of the Dental Radiology course. During the semester, the topics covered will include intraoral radiographic techniques, radiographic processing, intraoral radiographic anatomy, and dental and periodontal alterations and lesions.

Active Social Media Engagement Group; Passive Social Media Supplement Group; Traditional Learning Group

Passive Social Media BEHAVIORAL

The second group (Passive Social Media Supplement Group) will participate in the conventional teaching-learning process, supplemented by the passive consumption of educational content on social media, produced by the third group. The materials consumed will include the following content: intraoral radiographic techniques, radiographic processing, intraoral radiographic anatomy, and dental and periodontal alterations and lesions.

Active Social Media Engagement Group; Passive Social Media Supplement Group

Active Social Media BEHAVIORAL

The third group (Active Social Media Engagement Group) will participate in the conventional teaching-learning process, supplemented by the creation of educational audiovisual materials, which will subsequently be shared on social media and accessed both by their own group and by the second group. The materials will cover the following topics: intraoral radiographic techniques, radiographic processing, intraoral radiographic anatomy, and dental and periodontal alterations and lesions.

Active Social Media Engagement Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Students aged 18 years or older, of any gender.
• Regular enrollment in the Dental Radiology course at the School of Dentistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora campus.
• Voluntary agreement to participate in the study, confirmed by signing the Informed Consent Form.

You may not qualify if:

• Students who report audiovisual discomfort when using smartphones or computers.
• Individuals who are not users of social media.
• Lack of internet access.
• Presence of medical or psychological contraindications to the use of electronic devices.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karina Lopes Devito: lead

Study Sites (1)

Federal University of Juiz de Fora

Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Location

Related Publications (15)

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  PMID: 23144483 BACKGROUND

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• Dias da Silva MA, Pereira AC, Walmsley AD. Who is providing dental education content via YouTube? Br Dent J. 2019 Mar;226(6):437-440. doi: 10.1038/s41415-019-0046-8.

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• Chan TM, Dzara K, Dimeo SP, Bhalerao A, Maggio LA. Social media in knowledge translation and education for physicians and trainees: a scoping review. Perspect Med Educ. 2020 Feb;9(1):20-30. doi: 10.1007/s40037-019-00542-7.

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• Arnett MR, Christensen HL, Nelson BA. A school-wide assessment of social media usage by students in a US dental school. Br Dent J. 2014 Nov;217(9):531-5. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.956.

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• Almomani EY, Qablan AM, Atrooz FY, Almomany AM, Hajjo RM, Almomani HY. The Influence of Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Quarantine Practices on University Students' Beliefs About the Online Learning Experience in Jordan. Front Public Health. 2021 Jan 13;8:595874. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.595874. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 33520916 BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2025
• First Posted: September 19, 2025
• Study Start: January 14, 2024
• Primary Completion: January 12, 2026
• Study Completion: January 20, 2026
• Last Updated: December 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BR (1)