Comparison of dentistry students perceptions about the akinosi technique between those who learned theoretically and practiced and those who learned only theoretically

Introduction: While the Halstead technique is generally taught and applied in dentistry faculties for the purpose of inferior alveolar nerve block, practical training of the Vazirani Akinosi (VA) technique is rarely done. The fact that the Halstead technique has high failure rates and cannot be applied in cases with limited mouth opening brings the VA technique to the fore. We can say that the active learning approach that we applied in our thesis is the opposite of the teacher-centered traditional education which the student is in a passive position. Our aim is to evaluate how the VA technique is perceived when explained with these two approaches. Materials and Method: Our study was planned as prospective and randomized. Ninety two volunteers from senior intern students were included in the study. Theory of VA technique was already explained to all participants in the third grade curriculum. The control group (n=42) knew the VA technique only theoretically. It was taught to the study group (n=49) by a single trainer and applied to an average of three patients during a one-month internship. Our questionnaire, consisting of 12 statements, used a Likert scale and specially prepared by the study coordinators, was filled in at the same time by the participants. In the first question, it was learned whether they had applied the VA technique before or not. Since this question was not answered in one of the questionnaires, it was excluded from the study. Results: A significant difference was found between the groups in seven of the twelve statements (p<0.05). There was no difference in the remaining five statements. It was determined that there was a significant difference in favor of the study group in terms of total perception scores. Conclusion: After the practical training strengthened with theoretical knowledge, the VA application stages have become more understandable. Key Words: Vazirani Akinosi, Active Learning Approach, Passive Learning