Shaping the Future of Dentistry: How Digital VR-Haptic Thinkers Are Revolutionizing Education by Thinking Big for Better Future in Oral Care
Integrating digital, virtual reality (VR), and haptic technologies into dental education transforms training by fostering immersive, student-centered environments. These tools bridge theoretical knowledge and clinical practice, enhancing psychomotor skills, reducing anxiety, and enabling standardized assessments in risk-free settings. The Digital, VR, and Haptic Thinkers Network drives global collaboration and innovation. Drawing on insights from a 2025 conference at Queen Mary University of London, this commentary explores advancements, challenges, and future directions for VR-haptic integration in dental curricula. Results from global implementations, including improved manual dexterity and procedural precision, as well as enhanced pulpotomy performance, demonstrate a significant educational benefit. In clinical dentistry, VR-haptic simulators enhance patient outcomes by facilitating precise skill development for procedures in restorative dentistry and endodontics, thereby reducing errors in real-world practice. Combining these technologies with traditional methods is proposed to prepare competent, confident dental professionals while addressing educational disparities. Rigorous validation, strategic curriculum integration, and interdisciplinary collaboration are recommended to maximize impact.
Authors
- Heather J. H. Edgar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4093-8143)
- Simona‐Georgiana Schick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2301-8046)
- S. Galan-Gil
- Suzie Bergman
- Esther Carramolino‐Cuéllar
- Gitana Rėderienė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9131-7190)
- Mihaela Pantea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2402-8772)
- Małgorzata Ponto‐Wolska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4280-204X)
- Walter Yu Hang Lam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5530-2645)
- Sarah Rampf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3540-0041)
- A. Kada
- Kinga Bágyi
- Łukasz Zadrożny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1520-0243)
- Margrit P. Maggio
- Nicla Flacco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2937-2479)
- Kristin Ackerman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5187-1605)
- Peter Lingström (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0798-8520)
- Octave Nadile Bandiaky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6556-1947)
- Mikko Liukkonen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4259-4041)
- Outi Huhtela (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-3182)
- Ulla Palotie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9801-4889)
- Bekhzod Yarmukhamedov
- Anna Liisa Suominen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8543-0055)
- Amanda Jackson
- Piotr Regulski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3692-3582)
- David Rice (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9301-3078)
- Sıla Nur Usta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9513-0841)
- Masako Nagasawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4436-2129)
- Barry Quinn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9058-3849)
- Sompop Bencharit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1209-9362)
- Ulf Örtengren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6335-9737)
- Nawal Bouyahyaoui
- Reinhard Chun Wang Chau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5691-6806)
- Szabolcs Felszeghy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2656-3939)
- Muhammad Ali Shazib (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4424-2488)
- Damiano Pasqualini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0365-0626)
- MengWei Pang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3524-7049)
- Manchorova Veleva Neshka
- David A. Morton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1455-3840)
- Edgar Juan Quenta Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7670-4683)
- María P. Rodríguez‐Hopp
- Maria F. Sittoni‐Pino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1233-1452)
- Santiago Arias‐Herrera
- Nisrine El Arrouf
- Nicola Shanks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8952-0472)
- Brid Hendron
- Niku Sondagar
- Maxstein M. Abuzaid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6966-8332)
Institutions
- High Point University (US)
- Mohammed V University (MA)
- University of Debrecen (HU)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Ankara University (TR)
- Universitat de València (ES)
- Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (RO)
- University of Eastern Finland (FI)
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (PE)
- University of Utah (US)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- Medical University of Warsaw (PL)
- Helsinki University Hospital (FI)
- Medical University Plovdiv (BG)
- Garden Organic (GB)
- University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)
- Gülhane Askerî Tıp Akademisi (TR)
- Kuopio University Hospital (FI)
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (GB)
- Multnomah County Health Department (US)
- Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CN)
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi (TR)
- European Public Health Association (NL)
- University of Turin (IT)
- Niigata University (JP)
- University of Health Sciences Antigua (AG)
- Chongqing Medical University (CN)
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Universidad Diego Portales (CL)
- Nantes Université (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Journal of Dentistry
- Published
- 2025-08-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0045-1810611
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Dental Research and COVID-19
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.82