A mobile application for teaching elementary lesions in the oral cavity

Abstract

Introduction: The development and widespread access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have reinforced the view of them as didactic alternatives to improve the quality of education. These technological advances have facilitated the teaching-learning process through the use of virtual media. Knowing elementary lesions in the oral cavity tissue is important for their appropriate diagnosis and therapeutic management. Objective: To design, implement and assess the use of a mobile application in the teaching of elementary lesions of the oral cavity. Materials and methods: An intervention and experimental study that evaluated a didactic tool about oral elementary lesions, applying intervention, pre and post testing. The control group learning skills were assessed through the reading of an article. We finally compared the results via Chi² test, with p≤0.05. Results: Although both groups showed an improvement in learning levels, the group that used the mobile application achieved significantly better results in reference to learning about elementary lesions (Chi²p=0.014). Conclusions: ICTs have become useful strategies to strengthen new knowledge. In this study, we show that students who used the educational tool improved the learning of elementary lesions, in a significant and enjoyable way.