Non-Cochrane · intervention · PM40874654
Innovative Didactic Learning Formats: Have They Improved Dental Education? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Arias Ana, Seo Min-Seock, Gancedo-Caravia Lucia, et al. · International endodontic journal · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1111/iej.70006
Findings
Population Dental students (undergraduate or postgraduate) or dental professionals
5 findings
| Any innovative teaching format | Traditional teaching methods (lecture, large-group teaching) | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) Post-test shortly after the intervention · Dental schools · Overall, 20 studies in the subgroup analysis | MD 10.07 [6.69, 13.44] GRADE not reported 20 studies · 1743 participants |
| Any innovative teaching format | Traditional teaching methods (lecture, large-group teaching) | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) Post-test shortly after the intervention · Dental schools · Overall, all 23 studies | MD 9.82 [6.95, 12.69] GRADE not reported 23 studies · 2095 participants |
| Asynchronous independent learning (individual online flexible learning) | Traditional teaching methods (lecture, large-group teaching) | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) Post-test shortly after the intervention · Dental schools · Asynchronous independent learning | MD 4.71 [0.14, 9.28] GRADE not reported 5 studies · 317 participants |
| Synchronous blended learning (whole-class, e.g. flipped classroom) | Traditional teaching methods (lecture, large-group teaching) | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) Post-test shortly after the intervention · Dental schools · Synchronous blended learning | MD 16.59 [9.03, 24.15] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 670 participants |
| Synchronous small-group learning | Traditional teaching methods (lecture, large-group teaching) | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) Post-test shortly after the intervention · Dental schools · Synchronous small-group learning | MD 5.37 [2.85, 7.89] GRADE not reported 7 studies · 756 participants |
Included primary studies 109
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chen 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 4 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wang 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 4 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wang 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhang 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alharbi 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alharbi 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Chen 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Islam 2018 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Xiao 2018 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Al-Ahmad 2010 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Al-Riyami 2010 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alhazmi 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alkahtani 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alsufyani 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alwadei 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Anyanwu 2014 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ariana 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Arias 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Azeem 2018 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bains 2011 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bhandary 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Boonmak 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Cardozo 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Costa-Silva 2018 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| DeBate 2014 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Deepak Nallaswamy 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Echeto 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Ehsan 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Farah-Franco 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Freda 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Gallardo 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Gerhardt-Szep 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Godderidge 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| González Cabezas 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Guirado 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Haque 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hashemikamangar 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hong 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Howerton 2004 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Ilgüy 2014 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Inamochi 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Iqbal 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Isherwood 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Jaffar 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Jeganathan 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kalludi 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Karim 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Karimian 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kasabah 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Kavadella 2012 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Kohli 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kunin 2014 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Leinonen 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Liao 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Liebermann 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Llena 2018 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Luhrenberg 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Maggio 2012 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Marei 2013 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Markholm 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Matos 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Meckfessel 2011 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mehta 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mendoza Oropeza 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mergany 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Messina 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Miller 2013 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Miller 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mirzaei 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Moazami 2014 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Murthykumar 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Naik 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Narasimhan 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Nikkerdar 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Nilsson 2011 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Nirmal 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Nkenke 2012 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Paul 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Pérez-Higueras 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Peroz 2009 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Priyam 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Puranik 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Qazi 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ramseier 2012 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rekha 2017 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Robson 2015 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Sagsoz 2017 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Salian 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Santhosh 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Schönwetter 2016 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shetty 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shigli 2017 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shiota 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shqaidef 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Signori 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Slaven 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Soltanimehr 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Stamm 2019 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Susarla 2004 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Thangavelu 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Thurzo 2010 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Tuil 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Varughese 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
| Vollath 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wimalarathna 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yusifli 2024 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhai 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhong 2021 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhong 2023 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Knowledge acquisition (post-test scores, normalized to 0-100) | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Dental students (undergraduate or postgraduate) or dental professionals | Dental students (n=119 studies; 23 in meta-analysis: 1021 experimental and 1074 control students) |
| Intervention | Any form of active or interactive learning (small-group discussion, gaming, collaborative, blended, peer, team-based, problem-based, flipped classroom, role-play, virtual reality, AI, e-learning, etc.) | Innovative formats: flipped classroom and blended learning, self-guided learning, problem-based or case-based learning, interactive synchronous sessions, games and group activities (23 studies in meta-analysis) |
| Comparison | Traditional methods: lecture or large-group teaching | Traditional lecture teaching |
| Outcomes | Knowledge acquisition or retention (learning outcome, academic performance, test scores); satisfaction as an additional outcome | Knowledge acquisition (n=76 studies); attitude, satisfaction or perceptions (n=7); both (n=36); meta-analysis of normalized final test scores (n=23) |
| Study designs | Experimental studies (RCTs, comparative trials, non-randomised), longitudinal observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) | 119 studies, 58 RCTs and the rest other designs; meta-analysis combined randomised and non-randomised studies |
| Timing | Not specified | Mostly short-term post-tests shortly after the intervention; test timing from 1 week to 6 months or more after completion |