Assessment: Summative techniques to understand students’ knowledge acquisition Alon; Amato Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) May 12, 2020 USA Endodontic department instructors Canvas A virtual OSCE was created through Canvas to mimic an in-person endodontic competency exam. The type of questions was structured to include topics related to materials, diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical procedure, emergencies, complications, and communication. Best pedagogical practices were implemented through multiple ways of assessment: open-ended questions, multiple choice questions, and “fill in the blank” questions. Positive: The “virtual” OSCE conducted was overall successful, and the majority of the students were deemed competent and were able to clear from the endodontic department in a timely manner. This virtual platform can be used for future clinical exercises and to exposure students to “real-life” endodontics. Negative: A negative aspect to this virtual format was that it did not allow for any “hands-on” activities, which are essential for the endodontic profession. Garcia et al. Case-based virtual assessment July 13, 2020 USA Fourth-year dental students (n = 48) Zoom The periodontal senior case clinical challenge (PSCCC) was conducted with a combination of case-based and written clinical assessment followed by online small group discussions using virtual meetings on Zoom. The objective was to provide fourth-year students an alternative for in-person senior case presentations in a formative assessment structure where student opinions would be provided and analyzed to apply didactic periodontal knowledge to patient-based experiences. Positive: The instructors, who had previous experience with the in-person Periodontal Senior Case Clinical Challenge (PSCCC), agreed this was an effective alternative. The formative assessment experience was positive for all participants and is being considered as a permanent addition to the dental school curriculum. Negative: No comparison could be made to the in-person assessment scores because this student group did not meet in-person. An additional limitation was this type of assessment was very limited in its scope. In support of authors' hypothesis, for each of the six statements in the satisfaction survey, ≥94.44% (34/36) of the scores given by the students were considered exceptionally strong clinical support for our pedagogical strategy that combines educational resources and can be successfully implemented in other programs. Herr; Nelson Recorded lecture and laboratory with photos and labels for anatomy assessment May 4, 2020 USA First year dental students Unspecified First-year students were given a stay-at-home anatomy practical in lieu of the in-person cadaver dissection laboratory time due to COVID-19. Forty labeled images were provided to the students to identify. To help students name the identified structures, the authors provided a “hit list” of identifiable structures as well as allowing students to use the laboratory manual to understand the dissections. Positive: Students scored well on the stay-at-home anatomy practical for 2020. The average class score for the practical was above the previous 3-year average by 9.71 percentage points. Modification of the “hit list” to represent the actual laboratory requirements was recommended to help students understand the written material. Negative: A negative aspect of this virtual lecture and laboratory assessment included students concern information would not be retained due to the lack of in-person, active dissections. Interested students could be invited back with the 2021 class to relearn material in person. Holloway et al. Online assessment in dental technology decision making June 10, 2020 USA Dental students (n = 40) Zoom Critical thinking related to how to use technology during dental treatment as well as principles associated with the technology was evaluated via Zoom online assessment. Technologies knowledge assessed included: soft tissue lasers, Invisalign, electric handpieces, digital radiography, Vita Easy Shade V, Omnichroma, hard tissue laser, Prime Scan impressions, intra-oral cameras, Dexis CariVu, and Zoom whitening. Students developed PowerPoint presentations to demonstrate their knowledge with each of the technologies being assessed. Positive: With eight presentations made from five groups of students, a total of 112 assessments were completed. Each presentation contained seven categories of skill sets that were assessed by two instructors. From this small sample, it was concluded critical thinking, for this structured skill set occurs on as high a level as face-to-face facilitation. This study shows critical thinking skills in technology decision making can be taught by Zoom. Additionally, other critical thinking skills sets may be able to be taught by Zoom. Negative: Different skill sets were not assessed using zoom. Horne et al Synchronous and asynchronous instrumentation instruction and assessment using video January 7, 2021 USA First-year dental hygiene students at University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry (n = 17–20 students) Big Blue Button and Flipgrid Instruction was provided using FlipGrid and Big Blue Button. Live sessions were held through Big Blue Button, and prerecorded videos were developed and posted on FlipGrid. Students used FlipGrid to submit self-recorded videos of instrumentation practice for feedback. Additionally, exploring and calculus removal practical exams were scheduled in FlipGrid. Positive: Results comparing final practical exam performance compared to previous 3 years (interquartile ranges of 9.3 in 2020, 5.7 in 2019, 4.6 in 2018, and 5.8 in 2016) as expected of new approaches. Exam scores indicate students continued to progress even though learning was disrupted. Negative: Flipgrid was not designed as a reliable video management system. A second lesson learned was internet availability was not consistent. Hytonen et al. OSCE July 13, 2020 Finland Fourth-year dental students (n = 179) Moodle virtual learning environment Because this exam is required to fulfill the criteria for dental school completion, the authors modified the in-person national OSCE to an online OSCE with eight question categories, each including 1–6 questions. Students had to pass all eight categories to pass the OSCE. If they did not, they had to retake the exam. Positive: The pass rate in the eight question categories ranged from 50% to 70%. Students had on average a positive attitude toward the online examination beforehand, and they felt that they received adequate information concerning the examination. Negative: The virtual OSCE included technical issues, time management, and clarity/quality issues with example pictures used. Kakadia et al. OSCE June 11, 2020 USA Instructors and students Harvard School of Dental Medicine (n = 36 students and n = 20 examiners [two for each of the 10 disciplines]) Zoom breakout rooms The Zoom platform was used for the OSCE with the “breakout room” feature, which allows private mini sessions (one-on-one) between host-selected participants. Twenty-one preassigned rooms were created with two examiners assigned to each room. Students were given 6 min in each room to present discipline-specific cases. Examiners used Qualtrics or hard copy to grade. Positive: Most students felt the online OSCE compared similarly to the traditional OSCE because students were able to fully demonstrate their knowledge. Examiners noted calibration and pre-OSCE run-throughs were important to the success of the OSCE. Negative: The virtual OSCE was related to technical difficulties. Khalaf et al. Online assessment/exit exam July 20, 2020 UAE Final-year dental students (n = 65) Microsoft Teams and Blackboard The online assessment, exit exam, was created to replace the in-person assessment that measures students’ knowledge, clinical skills, attitudes, professional qualities, and expertise for safe and competent dental practice. This is a high stakes exam given prior to graduation from dental school. Online written exams (MCQ, MEQ, and OSCE) were created and administered with Blackboard, and the oral exam component was given using Microsoft Teams. In addition to using Respondus Monitor for exam honesty, instructors required students to join Teams meetings via mobile phones, so students could be monitored for cheating and/or IT help live while taking the exit exam. Positive: The high-stakes exam was implemented online and accepted by all stakeholders. Authors noted the outcomes for the online exit exam were similar to the previous in-person, pen, and paper exam. No formal analysis was compared. Negative: The exam from students' perspectives included inadequacy of time for the MEQ part, prevention of backtracking in the MCQ part, and minor technological issues. Those raised by instructors were increased time required to complete the exam setup and grading compared to the paper-based exam and minor technological issues. Both students and instructors were satisfied with the online exam with the latter being more satisfied than the former. Meyer et al. Video recordings to simulate in-person oral health interviews assessment May 23, 2020 USA Second-year dental students in a pediatric dentistry course (n = 83) Zoom Second-year dental students recorded themselves delivering oral healthcare counseling and pediatric dental treatment plans using a Zoom platform. An asynchronous teledentistry format was used as a replacement for in-person interviews. Students responded to standardized patient questions and delivered a prioritized list of treatment options. They had 24 h to prepare and submit a 5–10-min video for grading. Examiners used rubric with a four-point Likert scale to assess students’ performance. Positive: This modification was successful in providing students an opportunity to demonstrate oral health counseling and treatment planning. Additionally, peer-to-peer reflection helped students understand important concepts. Negative: The virtual standardized patient experience included poor attire and professionalism during the recorded patient encounter. This can be remedied with more guidance regarding assessment expectations. Instruction: Changes to course design to facilitate new learning environments Aguilar-Galvez et al. Virtual learning object (VLO) August 18, 2020 Peru 10 expert pediatric dentists and 25 dental students with the diagnosis of dental caries Virtual/unspecified VLO was created to learn the diagnosis for dental caries. The VLO included flexibility, personalization of teaching, modularity, adaptability, reuse in other contexts, durability, and gamification. The complete process of construction of the VLO to be used in managing learning in dentistry included four main stages: (1) construction of the VLO, (2) validation by 10 specialists, (3) assessment of learning, and (4) assessment of the VLO by students. Positive: The 13 dental students exposed to the VLO group correctly answered 90% of the questions evaluated, in relation to the 12 students exposed to the virtual synchronous class group who correctly answered 40% of the same questions evaluated. The students' opinions were very favorable. Negative: None were noted. Banava et al. Flipped classroom approach November 23, 2020 USA Dental students with caries risk assessment (n = 119) Zoom breakout rooms, Zoom polls, Kahoot A flipped classroom approach was used to move the caries risk assessment (CRA) case-based scenarios and treatment planning to an online format. Students were preassigned a reading assignment and a quiz prior to the online session. A short presentation on Zoom including “polls” was used to engage students. Kahoot was used to assess students’ knowledge with multiple choice questions before the case-based scenarios were presented. Students were divided into teams and assigned Positive: The survey results measured the use of Kahoot in the CRA workshop. Of the 119 students who rotated through the workshop in three sessions, 113 students (95%) found CRA virtual workshop engaging and fun; 99 students (83%) suggested using Kahoot in other topics; 103 students (86.5%) agreed on Kahoot being an easy-to-use game. A few students needed additional instructions to use Kahoot to complete the quiz, but overall, the interactive online strategies worked to engage dental students. Negative: None were noted. to Zoom breakout rooms to collaborate and formulate a treatment plan based on their case scenarios. The teams then presented their cases and treatment plans to their peers and instructors. Iyer et al. Flipped classroom approach June 21, 2019 USA Dental students with a periodontal recall visit (n = 144) Webex/Cisco A flipped classroom approach was used for the instruction of treatment planning a periodontal recall visit. This included videos and questions that were discussed with instructors in a synchronous seminar. Positive: Students appreciated the benefit of one person posing a question and having multiple faculties offer responses in real time. Students gave positive feedback on the pace, efficiency, and the learning effectiveness. Negative: Instructors and students were unable to use cameras due to connectivity issues. Miller et al. Flipped classroom approach September 17,2020 USA Dental students with community health Canvas A community health field project was converted to a fully online flipped classroom approach. Students were broken up into teams of three and instructed to choose a community social agency or dental clinic to conduct a virtual tour and create a case presentation. After each team presented their case information to peers and instructors, students individually submitted reflections using the 4Fs framework: facts, findings, feelings, and future. Positive: The flipped classroom approach worked well for the topic and style of instruction. The individual thoughtful reflections showed astonishment by some students on the harsh community conditions, poverty, and their discovery of the challenging aspects of the social determinants of health. Negative: Lack of enough class/Zoom time to fully discuss each student's reflection. Moore et al. Transition to ExamN/eProctor for students, instructors, and staff as described by the Academic Support Center May 20, 2020 USA Dental students, instructors, staff Zoom, Echo360, eProctor Facilitating and recording live virtual meetings, Zoom and Echo360, software minimally used by the school, were maximally used. By March 15, CODA announced a requirement for testing to include identity verification and online proctoring. The current secure testing solution ExamN, by AllofE in the eMedley suite, contained an option for online proctoring called eProctor. The team assessed the product and alternatives for compliance. eProctor was selected and implemented with the first examination on April 1. Positive: The academic support center team recommends continued training to have a best practice with remote instruction and to help instructors ensure engaging educational experiences for students. Student satisfaction with Zoom: −35% extremely satisfied, 42% satisfied, 19% neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 4% dissatisfied; instructors’ satisfaction with Zoom: −22% extremely satisfied, 67% satisfied, 11% neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Negative: None were noted. Mupparapu et al. Dental radiology hybrid program for lecture and laboratory components August 12, 2020 USA D3 students at Penn Dental School (n = 162) Canvas D3 students completed a 2-h remote “introduction to radiology clinics” with Canvas. Following students were required to pass a summative examination conducted via Examsoft. Remote radiology training also included individualized instruction in Axium, MiPACS software, and intraoral position using RINN XCP instrumentation and several direct acquisition digital intraoral imaging systems when clinical operations resumed. DXTTR-based radiographic training sessions resumed on July 7 continued until October 1, 2020. Each hour-long training session included a radiographic study of 18 images using a CCD sensor. Students received training in recording radiographic findings using a templated interpretation form (RADCON), which prompted students to input data regarding caries, crestal bone levels, marginal, and apical periodontium. Positive: All students had prior knowledge of XCP assembly, radiation hygiene, disinfection protocols, appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in a radiology setting, and exposure parameters. This hybrid program was designed to prepare D3 students for clinical activities without compromising the quality of dental care. Negative: None were noted. Nair et al. Extramural Program May 26, 2020 USA Fourth-year dental students at The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics (n = 20) Rapid oral health deterioration (ROHD) risk assessment tool A virtual educational approach was created to replace the canceled extra-mural training including the geriatric and special-needs program. Students identified all relevant information from the patient's medical, oral, and socioeconomic condition and used these to determine the patient's risk for rapid oral health deterioration (ROHD) risk assessment tool and provide rationale treatment plans. Their responses were detailed and reflected individual decision-making styles. Positive: Students identified all relevant information from the patient's medical, oral, and socioeconomic condition and used these to determine the patient's risk for rapid oral health deterioration (ROHD) risk assessment tool and provide rationale treatment plans. Their responses met the standard for the virtual assignment. Negative: None were noted. Nelson et al. Virtual early childhood oral health training program (EChOTrain) November 17, 2020 USA Second-year pre-licensure dental hygiene students (n = 37) Zoom The in-person didactic content for the EChOTrain program was moved to remote synchronous lecture in 2020. The 2019 cohort (n = 8) received all content via in-person lecture. The 2020 cohort (n = 29) received all content via synchronous remote lecture. Prior to the beginning of the program, students receive pre- and postassessment surveys to gauge knowledge pediatric hygiene procedures. Self-assessments were scored on a numerical Likert scale, de-identified, and calculated for each question using MS Excel. Positive: The synchronous from our lecture was received well by students and allowed the course to expand from 8 to 29 students. Both cohorts showed improvement based on readiness for clinical practice. This study demonstrated lectures were effective in teaching EChOTrain course content. Negative: One was technical challenges with the software. A second negative aspect was the instructors' perceived lack of interaction with students when their video was turned off. Pastan; Zandona Diaphragmatic breathing/deep breathing July 13, 2020 USA D4 students with Tufts University of Dental Medicine (n = 16 students, n = 16 instructors, n = 12 staff) In-person huddles preclinic sessions Diaphragmatic breathing is a technique that involves slow breathing when the exhale is twice the length of the inhale. Diaphragmatic breathing research shows a calming effect on the autonomic nervous system, as well as relaxing the muscles of the body and decreasing feelings of stress and anxiety. Starting on the first day, the fourth year (D4) students returned to the clinic after the mandated closure of clinic due to COVID-19, the diaphragmatic exercise was implemented in the clinic by the instructors before each clinic session. Positive: This unconventional activity in the dental school environment was welcomed by all participants with appreciation and strong interest for it to be continued. The trained instructors began guiding their own versions of this exercise in the huddles. The staff and administration benefitted as the students did from the calming and anxiety lowering effects that created a more relaxed clinical environment better suited for operator performance and patient care. Negative: Some of the instructors lacked confidence in leading the breathing exercises; however, they were open to additional training to become more comfortable. Ramesh et al. Think-pair-share activity on a virtual curricular retreat November 24, 2020 USA Students, instructors, administrators at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine curriculum committee (n = 37) Zoom breakout rooms The curricular adaptations made in response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer 2020 terms were assessed through the lens of Miller's Pyramid using a “think-pair-share” format to engage participants in dialog. The preassigned teams used the breakout features of Zoom to discuss the pandemic-related Positive: This virtual retreat provided a starting point for innovative and unprecedented curricular enhancements for the future of dental education. Results from the retreat included identifying that online course can facilitate delivery of basic fundamental content. Using supplemental videos can be useful to facilitate class discussions. The objective Ramesh et al. Think-pair-share activity on a virtual curricular retreat November 24, 2020 USA Students, instructors, administrators at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine curriculum committee (n = 37) Zoom breakout rooms curriculum changes for a specific year and assess their short and long-term impact in terms of what worked, what did not, and lessons learned. A live Google doc was set up for the teams to enter discussion notes in real time. An assigned reporter of the team reported their summary to the entire committee after the discussion. of discussing successful curriculum adaptations and deciding on the permanent additions was met. Negative: None were noted. Rohle et al. Inverted classroom (flipped classroom) model integrated with peer-based teaching skills laboratory using Moodle August 4, 2020 Germany Medical and dental students at Technische Universität Dresden (n = 1012) Skills laboratory via moodle Undergraduate human medical training for medical and dental students was moved to an online format using an existing skills laboratory based on a peer teaching format. Students learned basic communication and manual skills through an inverted classroom practice. Three e-learning modules were incorporated through Moodle: (1) self-learning phase I: access to occupational health and safety instructions. (2) Self-learning phase II: acquisition of learning content using Mitz-mobil. (3) Constructive teaching and learning approach in Moodle. Positive: This pilot of implementing an inverted classroom model during “emergency mode” due to COVID-19 with peer-based teaching was successful. The teaching modules were feasible, and the peer instructors accepted the inverted classroom well. Exploratory evaluation of the interviews with the instructors revealed that there were no major problems. Didactic learning objectives should differentiate between online/Moodle classroom objectives and in-person classroom objectives. Authors determined the inverted classroom model will be further developed as an integral part of regular teaching. Negative: None were noted. Siqueira et al. Synchronous remote lectures and shortened clinic sessions December 8, 2020 Canada Dental students Virtual/unspecified Due to COVID-19, clinic sessions were compressed to shorten the day to help avoid commuters traveling to campus multiple times a day. Additionally, all in-person lectures shifted to synchronous remote lectures. Positive: A total of 67.5% of students reported being either satisfied or very satisfied with the new preclinic/clinic scheduling times. Also, 66.3% of students reported the timing of the sessions provided more time in the evening to study and for personal activities. Instructors reported the quality of dental work did not decline. Additionally, some of the appointment prescreening questions were done via phone call to preserve in-person clinic time for patient treatment. Negative: None were noted. Tan et al. Home-based simulation learning (HBSL) for oral hygiene instruction October 15, 2020 Singapore Dental hygiene students at Nanyang Polytechnic School of Health and Social Sciences (n = 70) Zoom In class sizes of 22–26 students, synchronized lectures and demonstrations were conducted by dental hygiene and therapy coordinators and supervisors during scheduled timeslots over 3 weeks. Following discussions, students split into groups of six and used the breakout room function in the Zoom teleconferencing platform to practice on the manikin heads, with real-time feedback from dedicated clinical supervisors observing through remote supervision, following completion of the 3-week HBSL program, an online survey was sent out to all oral health therapy (OHT) students using the online clinical diagnostic and research support system (CDRSS), Medisys, Singapore) platform. The target population included 70 students, of which 69 returned complete responses for the survey, yielding a response rate of 98.6%. Positive: The top three aspects that students were satisfied with for the HBSL program include (1) clear understanding of the purpose and objectives of the simulation (95.7%), (2) provision of constructive feedback (92.8%), and (3) support during the learning process (91.3%). The most important factor to virtual oral health therapy students was feedback and reflection. There was a moderate positive linear correlation between the importance and satisfaction with factors in simulation design for the domains of support (0.59), problem solving (0.58), and feedback and guided reflection (0.61), but low positive to negligible linear correlation for the other domains. All correlations were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In terms of overall student satisfaction and self-confidence with learning, mean satisfaction with HBSL was 3.90 ± 0.36. A statistically significant difference was noted between cohorts. The median SCLS scores for first-year, second-year, and third-year OHT students were 3.83 (IQR 3.58–4.00), 3.92 (IQR 3.67–4.08), and 4.08 (IQR 3.92–4.25), respectively. Post hoc tests revealed a statistically significant difference between the first- and third-year cohorts (p < 0.01). This difference was mainly attributed to differences in “satisfaction with instruction.” The beta coefficient for the third-year cohort was 0.29 (95% CI 0.09– 0.49). No differences in SCLS scores were noted for other sociodemographic variables. Negative: None were noted. Instructional technology: Virtual platforms for collaboration Aulakh et al. Virtual monthly oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) journal club October 15, 2020 United Kingdom Dental trainees taking part in journal club meetings at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (n = 14) Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams what is used to facilitate the virtual monthly OMFS journal club which typically met in-person. A satisfaction survey consisted of a mix of Likert scale and multiple-choice questions aimed to ascertain the differences in experience between online and face-to-face settings for the club, along with opinions regarding the setting for future meetings. Positive: 100% response rate was received. Results from the survey and statistical analysis indicate that the majority of trainees found it significantly easier (p < 0.05) to attend the club after it had been moved to an online setting, with only one participant indicating more difficulty in accessing it currently. Trainees generally reported that learning through the virtual journal club was more effective than it was face-to-face. Negative: None were noted. Buchbender et al. Kobra surgery simulator January 15, 2020 Germany Cohort 1: A total of 59 students from Friedrich–Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (FAU) (third-year, n = 29, with 22 women and seven men/group 1; fourth-year, n = 20, with 17 women and three men/group 2) and dentists (n = 10, with five women and five men/control group) participated, left-handed individuals were had also excluded. Average age of 24.59. Cohort 2: 17 female and three male students. Average age of 24.40 Oral surgery simulators (Kobra). This simulator consists of a phantom head, a 3D screen, a tablet for selecting the patient case insight of relevant virtual patient data (i.e., X-rays), two 3D glasses (Nvidia 3D and Vision 2), a foot control for the handling of the surgical handpiece and an advanced joystick with touch feedback, a so-called haptic device Group 1 performed an apicoectomy on a front tooth; group 2 performed an extraction of a lower wisdom tooth, and the control group all performing surgeries within a 10-min time limit. Comparisons were made. They study hypothesized that dental students will perform more accurate surgery simulator when compared to instructor dentists.

Positive: Primary outcome—objective parameters

• Simulation of an apicoectomy of an upper front tooth (group 1 vs. control group).

The hypothesis was not met. Students did not perform more accurate surgery using the simulator. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed no significant differences (p < 0.0083) in both groups concerning the removal of gutta-percha (p = 0.020), dentin (p = 0.010), and tooth (p = 0.009). The students tended to have higher amounts of removal in the parameters, except the parameter of infected tissue, where dentists had a higher amount of removal.

• Simulation of wisdom tooth extraction (group 2 vs. control group).

The differences between group 2 and the control group showed no significance according to the Mann–Whitney U test. However, the median values between the two groups differed concerning the ablation of the pulp (group 1, 6.40 vs. group 2, 1.55) as well as the bone (128.7 vs. 124.75) and dentin (97.50 vs. 63.95).

Overall, students showed less precise surgical skill than dentists, especially in the younger age group. Between the older group of students and dentists, there was no statistical difference. Kobra simulator may provide more clinical experience for students and may offer new opportunities for practical examination offering benefits for the instructors as well. Negative: Computer surgical simulation cannot replace hands-on training. Laurence et al. Software Epidemix 2 for infectious disease modeling June 26, 2020 USA Undergraduate dental students and policymakers (in each session on average 20 students participated, of which 16 completed course evaluation) Zoom The Epidemix 2 software was used to develop a virtual course in infectious disease modeling where students explored trends in the transmission of COVID-19. Virtual instruction was provided on Zoom. A demonstration of software Epidemix 2 was done after primary course content had been covered. Positive: All the students said the course was very useful (87.5%) or somewhat useful (12.5%) in improving their understanding of infectious disease modeling. Negative: None were noted. Lee et al. Process to prevent cheating during online assessments June 27, 2020 South Korea 86 students A tablet PC with a face-tracking function, a Zoom video, and a random question sequencing function in a Computer-Based Test Remote assessment is proctored and, therefore, presents challenges with cheating and fairness. Authors implemented before, during, and after strategies to deter cheating during remote assessments. Students took a test ethics pledge before testing. During testing, they recorded themselves with a tablet PC camera to record the room, a Zoom video recording the face, and a random ordered computer-based test. After providing a list of cheating behaviors, penalties were imposed on students who cheated. Positive: For 92% (n = 79), the facial movements were within the acceptable range. A Zoom video analysis for the seven remaining students was conducted, two of whom were given penalties for suspected cheating. Postassessment student surveys indicated that the face tracking technology, Zoom monitoring, and random question sequencing were perceived as effective ways to control cheating by 32%, 95%, and 67% of students, respectively. Negative: None were noted. Mahima et al. Google classroom October 06, 2020 India Undergraduate medical and dental students (n = 163) Google Apps Anatomy virtual class was created in Google classroom individually for medical and dental students, and students were asked to join the class by means of class code. Instructors created lesson materials like videos and voice over PowerPoint presentations. The materials were uploaded daily based on the syllabus. Assignments and assessments were also given and graded. Positive: About 163 students responded to the questionnaire, which was based on a five-point Likert scale with 5 as strongly agree. Seventy-nine (48.2%) students were males, and 85 (51.8%) students were females. Overall, the students gave positive response toward their learning experience in Google classroom. Negative: A few problems also have been found out like issues regarding accessing course materials and navigating the system, difficulty in submission of assignments, poor internet connection, and they also wanted to make the classes more interactive. Mansoor Live videoconferencing for remote education with Zoom May 24, 2020 UK Dental students at Manchester University Dental Hospital (n = 40) Zoom Manchester University dental hospital focuses on enquiry-based learning (EBL) where the teacher is seen as more of a facilitator to guide the students. This type of learning was implemented using video conferencing with the Zoom. Other virtual platforms considered for EBL were FaceTime and Adobe Connect. FaceTime did not have as many useful features as Zoom, and Adobe Connect required a registration fee before being allowed to register for a virtual class. Positive: Results from the Google Form questionnaires showed none of the students believed the Zoom education meetings were better than their standard dental education. Additionally, a small minority of the 40 students did not attend the remote educational meetings, and the pattern of absence is consistent with some individuals. Ninety percent of the allocated dental students have stated they find the remote educational meetings beneficial academically and report to enjoy them. This demonstrates a high satisfaction among the respondents. Surprisingly, almost half of the responding students reported that the remote educational meetings have been beneficial clinically, despite the lack of face-to-face contact or the ability to learn physically with their dental instructor. Over half of the allocated dental students revealed they found the remote educational meetings “better” than the normal delivery of their academic dental education. Negative: None were noted. Murata et al. Problem-based learning for research using Microsoft Teams December 2, 2020 USA First-year dental students at East Carolina University (n = 52) Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams was used to facilitate problem-based learning (PBL) to teach evidence-based research to dental students. Dental students worked as a group to address a specific problem by using the PBL approach: defining the problem, structure a hypothesis, construct a learning objective, independent resource collection, knowledge application, case presentation and assessment, and self and peer evaluation. After 3 weeks of 2-h sessions each week, students presented their case to the class and instructors. Positive: Instructors and students reported positive feedback for the Microsoft Teams platform related to PBL online critical skills development. Microsoft Teams worked well in allowing students to share documents and work interactively. Negative: None were noted. Nishioka et al. Patient simulation with a robot-SIMROID December 3, 2020 Japan International students at Tohoku University Hospital (n = 9) Humanoid robot that simulates a patient for dental training The SIMROID has the ability to interact with students through movements, speech, and expressions. It can also respond to pressure for pain feedback. Because the SIMROID can respond to a clinician's voice in Japanese or English, it could be used to build communication skills with patients. Positive: Feedback from the international students revealed that most (97.7%) answered that the SIMROID was “effective in dental training” because “the robot's ability to mimic the patient's response, answer questions, open mouth more realistically, and respond to any uncomfortable procedure.” Negative: High cost of the SIMROID robot, time-consuming maintenance, its need for a specified area for its installation, and only a few students can practice at a time. Telang Asynchronous e-learning using YouTube, Google Classroom, WhatsApp May 18, 2020 Malaysia Dental students (n = 225) and instructors (n = 35) Learning management system (LMS) A YouTube channel was created with access for the instructors to upload voice over lectures and linked on the LMS. Clinical and preclinical procedures videos were posted on YouTube for student understanding. Google classroom was used to conduct discussion forums quizzes and assessments. WhatsApp was used by instructors and students to encourage personalized interaction and ensure wellbeing. Positive: Using freely available online resources showed an engagement of 90%–95% for all the teaching and learning, as well as 100% compliance to assessments. Take-home exams have shown higher scores while the overall achievement of outcomes is similar to a face-to-face assessment. Negative: None were noted. Trowbridge et al. Microsoft Teams private channels for instructors and student rotations in a simulation (SIM) clinic November 21, 2020 USA Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (MWU-CDMA-AZ) second-year dental students (groups of 20 students on five–six benches) Microsoft Teams In order to accommodate multiple rotations simultaneously in the SIM clinic, MWU-CDMA-AZ has implemented the use of private channels in Microsoft Teams software. A separate private channel is created for each rotation. Only the instructors teaching the rotation and students participating in the rotation are added to the channel. Students are required to bring an electronic device with the downloaded Microsoft Teams software and a set of headphones. This allowed each instructor to communicate with their student group without distractions and while adhering to social distancing. Positive: Our use of the private channels in the Microsoft Teams software has allowed us to continue effective hands-on instruction while complying with COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Negative: Need of good Wi-Fi connection to use Microsoft Teams. Having all the students turn off their videos and mute their audio appeared to improve the speed of Wi-Fi. Software: Digital programs and tools to facilitate learning in new virtual environments Cheng et al. DenTeach remote teaching-learning platform for dental tasks and skills September 29, 2020 Canada