The Effects of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Training System on Elderly Oral Care Skill for Oral Hygiene and Nursing Students

Virtual Reality Training System on Oral Health Care for Dependency Elderly in Oral Hygiene Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a promising technology for education since the combination of immersive and interactive features enables experiential learning. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based training on oral health care for dependency elderly among oral hygiene students.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Overall, the study recruited students from third grade of Department of Oral Hygiene students in Kaohsiung Medical University during 2021. The participants were randomly assigned to virtual-reality experimental (EG; n = 11) and control (CG; n = 12) groups. The students in EG received a 2-hour VR training for elderly oral health care at 2-week (Time 2), 4-week (Time 3) and 6-week (Time 4) follow-ups. Each student collected the data by a self-administrated questionnaire before and immediately after each of the intervention. Linear regression in generalized estimating equations (GEE) compare the differences between both groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• third grade of Department of Oral Hygiene students in Kaohsiung Medical University during the 2021 academic semester
• Participants have to take both the courses of 'Basic Medical Nursing Care' and 'Oral Health Care for Community People and Long-term Care Residents' before intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

• none