Comparison of industrial- and medical-grade silicone phantoms for surgical laser training in dental students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22423902 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Javad Sarabadani (0000-0002-6269-7777, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences), Farzaneh Ahrari (0000-0003-1257-8881, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, corresponding author), Mahnaz Tavakoli (0000-0003-2019-2276, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences), Maryam Valizadeh (0000-0003-4656-8497, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences), Kiana Mazhari (0000-0002-9689-8745, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC Medical Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-6920 • E-ISSN: 1472-6920 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s12909-026-08791-x |
| PMID | 41699590 |
| OpenAlex | W7128999478 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
OBJECTIVE: This study explored the potential of industrial- and medical-grade silicone phantoms as alternatives to animal models for surgical laser training in dental students. METHODS: Tongue molds with exophytic lesions were created using 3D-printed polylactic acid molds. Industrial-grade and medical-grade silicone were injected into the molds to create two distinct educational models. Forty-five sixth-year dental students participated in the study. Students first practiced with an 810-nm diode laser on a sheep tongue and then resected the lesions on the silicone models. Afterwards, they completed a questionnaire evaluating the effectiveness of silicone phantoms in surgical laser training. Data were analyzed using Kendall’s Tau and paired samples t-tests, with significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the silicone models in terms of design and construction (P = 0.195), learners’ experience of lesion removal (P = 0.790), or effectiveness in teaching laser courses (P = 0.083). However, the medical-grade silicone was significantly more similar to animal tissues in texture (P < 0.001). Furthermore, working with the diode laser on the medical silicone phantom better simulated working on animal specimens compared to the industrial silicone phantom (P = 0.007). The overall score of the questionnaire was also in favor of medical-grade silicone (P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Both industrial- and medical-grade silicone phantoms were effective for training dental students in surgical laser applications. However, the medical-grade silicone provided a more realistic training experience and was closer in texture to animal tissue, making it a superior training model for dental students.
Animal model · Head and neck · Imaging phantom · Silicone · Tongue · Anatomy and Medical Technology · Dental Research and COVID-19 · Surgical Simulation and Training
| Highly cited | No |
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