Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 May 28;24(1):627.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04249-y.

Virtual reality-based simulation learning on geriatric oral health care for nursing students: a pilot study

Pei-Chao Lin  1   2   3 , Shu-Fen Wung  4 , Pei-Chen Lin  5 , Yi-Ching Lin  6   7 , Cheng-Yu Lin  8 , Hsiao-Ling Huang  9
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Virtual reality-based simulation learning on geriatric oral health care for nursing students: a pilot study

Pei-Chao Lin et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: There is a great need for training and education in the nursing curriculum to improve nurses' knowledge and skills to provide oral health care.

Methods: A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the use of a virtual reality (VR)-based Oral Health Care Learning System to train geriatric oral health care among nursing students. Fifty undergraduate nursing students were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups. The experimental group received the VR-based simulation training on geriatric oral health care and the training was implemented twice at two weeks apart from March to November 2021. The control group did not receive the training intervention. Knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy of geriatric oral health care as well as the intention to assist oral health care for older adults were assessed at the beginning, second, and fourth weeks. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the effectiveness of the VR-based simulation training.

Results: After the first round of training, students in the experimental group had significantly greater improvements in knowledge and self-efficacy of geriatric oral health care than in the control group. After the second round of training, students in the experimental group had significantly greater improvements in knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy of geriatric oral health care as well as the intention to assist oral health care for older adult than in the control group.

Conclusions: The VR-based simulation training was effective to improve undergraduate nursing students' knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy of geriatric oral health as well as the intention to assist oral health care for older adults. The VR-based simulation learning system is an effective tool to provide practice experiences to build confidence and skills and to bridge the gap of understudied geriatric oral health content in entry-level nursing curricula.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05248542; registration date 21/02/2022).

Keywords: Attitude; Intention; Knowledge; Nursing student; Oral health; Self-efficacy; Taiwan; Virtual reality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The virtual reality-based simulation education on geriatric oral hygiene care
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The mean scores of the outcome measures from baseline to 4 weeks follow-up between the experimental group and control group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tonetti MS, Bottenberg P, Conrads G, Eickholz P, Heasman P, Huysmans MC, Lopez R, Madianos P, Muller F, Needleman I, Nyvad B, Preshaw PM, Pretty I, Renvert S, Schwendicke F, Trombelli L, van der Putten GJ, Vanobbergen J, West N, Young A, Paris S. Dental caries and periodontal diseases in the ageing population: call to action to protect and enhance oral health and well-being as an essential component of healthy ageing – Consensus report of group 4 of the joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal diseases. J Clin Periodontol. 2017;44(Suppl 18):S135–44. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12681. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hughes MJ, Gazmararian JA. The relationship between income and oral health among people with intellectual disabilities: a global perspective. Spec Care Dentist. 2015;35(5):229–35. doi: 10.1111/scd.12114. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Albani V, Nishio K, Ito T, Kotronia E, Moynihan P, Robinson L, Hanratty B, Kingston A, Abe Y, Takayama M, Iinuma T, Arai Y, Ramsay SE. Associations of poor oral health with frailty and physical functioning in the oldest old: results from two studies in England and Japan. BMC Geriatr. 2021;21(1):187. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02081-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Algra Y, Haverkort E, Kok W, Etten-Jamaludin FV, Schoot LV, Hollaar V, Naumann E, Schueren MV, Jerković-Ćosić K. The association between malnutrition and oral health in older people: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3584. doi: 10.3390/nu13103584. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kotronia E, Brown H, Papacosta AO, Lennon LT, Weyant RJ, Whincup PH, Wannamethee SG, Ramsay SE. Oral health and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory mortality in older people in the UK and USA. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):Article16452. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95865-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data