Role plays a teaching strategy for dental students: An institutional study

This study employed to explore the outcome and benefits of role play as a teaching methodology for teaching dental subjects to the dental students. The experimental study group included 40 students (Group A and Group B) of the same level in Buraydah Private Dental College, Saudi Arabia. Students in the group A were taught through didactic lectures, while those in group B were taught using role play method. At the end of the course, we compared the outcome of theoretical knowledge before, after and one month after teaching. All the data were statistically evaluated using Graph Pad Prism software. The result obtained in pretest, posttest and surprise test were statistically significant. The role play method showed significantly better results compared to the didactic lectures (p<0.05). The role play showed 75% of result compared to didactic lectures (60%). Retention of knowledge was also statistically significant among the groups. Role Play is an important and alternative method of teaching dental students. In addition, when the course is discussion based and asynchronous, it leaves time for student's to be reflective, which is a particular benefit of this role playing teaching method.