# Virtual and Traditional Learning Technique Impact on Dental Education
## 1 Introduction  
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a subfamily of viruses that have been responsible for repeated disease outbreaks in the recent past. COVID-19 infection was defined as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 and is a global challenge for education that changed perspectives on teaching and interaction in many dental schools [1, 2, 3]. In Romania, the Faculty of Dentistry lasts six years, of which the first three years are based mainly on preclinical study and the last three on in-depth clinical study. Furthermore, there is a focus on clinical skills practice, which usually takes place in the summer, at the end of each academic year over four working weeks. Each academic year is divided into two semesters of 14 weeks and at the end of each semester there is an examination period. (Winter period: January-February, Summer period: June-July, respectively). Dental studies are taught in Romanian, English, or French, depending on candidate preference. The Faculty of Dental Medicine, \"Ovidius\" University Constanta offers two programs of study in dentistry, in English and Romanian languages. The six years of studies are finalized with the bachelor's exam. Graduates who pass the bachelor's exam receive the title of Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) and the right to free practice. Postgraduate training can be continued through residency programs in 7 different specialties (endodontics, orthodontics, pedodontics, periodonics, prosthetics, general dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery) and through master's degree programs or PhD programs. Before this pandemic, all courses were delivered by traditional classroom lectures, as oral presentations, or clinical practice in face-to-face activities. The dental teaching has an important curriculum in the clinic where patients attend dentistry practice and dental students train their manual and cognitive skills that are required for the profession. The Faculty of Dental Medicine, \"Ovidius\" University Constanta had to move from the usual, face-to-face way of teaching to virtual learning classes to ensure social distancing, which has been recommended to control the spread of the disease [4]. Given the conditions of insecurity and uncertainty from the beginning of this pandemic, virtual lessons were the only possibility to carry out the didactic activity. In Europe, 90% of dental schools used online teaching software tools, 72% used live videos, 48% provided links to further online materials, and 65% participated in organizing virtual meetings, working groups, and social media groups for theoretical purposes [5; 6]. Educational electronic platforms like WebEx(r) (Webex by Cisco, Milpitas, CA, USA) and Moodle(r) are an official alternative to traditional learning and can be used for didactic activity and the evaluation of students. WebEx(r) is a new form of classroom conference and lectures, using video conference systems, that was implemented at many institutions [7]. The WebEx(r) platform is an alternative to classroom settings, although it depends on a quality internet connection. Moodle(r) platforms are extensively used by dental schools for active learning activities [8]. On Moodle(r), it is possible to send didactic material, post videos, provide formative-assessments, and accommodate various question formats. There is little evidence regarding the long-term impact of virtual lecturing on students' formation and consolidation of knowledge. We must not lose sight of the fact that besides theoretical education, dental students must acquire clinical skills to make a correct diagnosis and to correctly execute the necessary treatment [9]. [PERSON] et al. conducted a study among health science students regarding the perception and satisfaction of virtual learning and most of the students agreed that this learning method was not useful for developing the needed clinical skills [10]. Similar results were obtained in another study, in which most dental students considered online classes not to be as effective as face-to-face classes [11].