Production and Perceptions of 3D-Printed Bone Models in Undergraduate Anatomy Practical Educations

Anatomy is considered one of the cornerstones of medical curricula.Thanks to the modernization and technological developments in medical education, many innovations have been added to traditional learning tools in anatomy education, one of the most important of which is three-dimensional (3D) printed models.Determining the production properties of 3D printed models and also the perceptions of students about these models has become increasingly important.Hence, this study aimed to produce 3D printed bone models for use in undergraduate anatomy practical education and to determine students' perceptions about them.Using 3D printing technology, highly accurate 3D printed bone models were produced simply, economically and quickly.After the 3D models were used in anatomy practical education, 16-item survey (five-point Likert scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) was performed to year-1 undergraduate two group of students (students of Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Health Sciences).Survey results showed that 3D printed bone models were well adopted by undergraduate students in anatomy practical education.In addition, for all items of survey, no significant statistical difference was found between both student groups (P>0.05).Our study suggests that 3D printing technology is useful to aid to anatomy practices and provides teaching tools for undergraduate students from different departments in learning anatomy.