Perception of gross anatomy education and dental drawing by dental hygiene students

Background: A complete and thorough understanding of head and neck anatomy by dental hygienists is fundamental for performing successful dental hygiene procedures in all clinical settings. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the opinion of a population of dental hygiene students about the educational methods, their perceptions of the tooth drawing module, and their opinion about the content of Anatomy curriculum in an Italian University. Material and Methods: A comprehensive survey about was developed and electronically distributed to the dental hygiene students. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the application of anatomical knowledge in clinical practice, opinions on the contents and methods of gross anatomy education, and opinions on the tooth drawing module. Results: The survey was completely answered by 63 respondents. According to most respondents, drawing exercises helped to better understand the anatomy of the teeth, to incorporate dental anatomy more effectively, and to improve their ability to visualize tooth anatomy. Most respondents reported that molars were the most difficult teeth to be drawn. The respondents gave the maximum importance to the anatomical knowledge of the mandible, the maxilla, the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint, the palate, the tongue, the salivary glands, the trigeminal nerve, and the facial nerve. Conclusions: Dental drawing exercises seem to be extremely important for Dental Hygiene Bachelor Degrees and they are well appreciated by students. Appropriate educational methods of anatomy should be used to improve the attention and the learning by dental hygiene students, thus finally hopefully resulting in the improvement of their clinical skills.