The Digital Workflow in Preclinical Practical Activity: Application in Paediatric Dentistry at the Mohammed <scp>VI</scp> Faculty of Dental Medicine <scp>UM</scp> 6 <scp>SS</scp> —A Satisfaction Survey

INTRODUCTION: The digital flow has several advantages in paediatric dentistry, including the reduction of child anxiety, the ergonomics, and making the experience fun and enjoyable for the child. Thus, a pilot experiment consisted of the introduction of the digital workflow for the realization of partial restorations in paediatric dentistry among 3rd year students in order to introduce them to digital technologies. The aim of this work is to present this experience and its impact on the acquisition of preclinical practical skills. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey has been distributed to all the 115 students enrolled in this study at the end of the last session of preclinical practical activity, the questionnaire included four main subjects: organization, materials and resources, learning activities and skills developed, learning difficulties and overall satisfaction. Quantitative data were analysed using Microsoft SSPS Software. RESULTS: The questionnaire yielded 91% of responsiveness, and it revelled positive results as 64% of the students showed a high level of satisfaction about the digital impression session and 79% expressed high interest in such activities. Though, on the other hand, 39% of the students had reported a certain level of learning difficulties mainly because of time allocation and clarity issues. Nevertheless, the overall satisfaction ratio was about 7.85/10. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot experience have echoed the literature findings in similar studies, demonstrating that the introduction of digital workflow in earlier stages of their studies is helping them to improve their understanding of digital procedures and offering them a satisfying pedagogical contribution. There are areas for improvement and more thorough studies should be conducted for a better evaluation of the clinical and pedagogical impact of these learnings.