In-person and virtual assessment of oral radiology skills and competences by the Objective Structured Clinical Examination

Purpose Clinical education is an essential part of the Dental School curriculum and assessment is a fundamental component of the teaching-learning process. Objectives With the purpose of implementing a structured and objective assessment method in the teaching of Oral Radiology, undergraduate dentistry students were submitted to an assessment of clinical competences and skills in radiology by the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), applied both in-person and virtually (VOSCE). Methods The same group of students was evaluated by the OSCE and VOSCE in six-station circuits that involved the assessment of clinical skills in Oral Radiology. For each station, an individual evaluative checklist (per station) was prepared and the participants' general scores were obtained. The students' anxiety level was also assessed before and after the exams and a meta-evaluation was performed to indicate the participants' perception of the assessment methods. Results The OSCE (0.61) and VOSCE (0.81) reliability values were considered substantial and almost perfect, respectively. The students evaluated showed a better performance in the OSCE (p <= 0.05). Anxiety levels were considered moderate in both assessments and showed no difference between the two exams. The meta-evaluation showed a positive evaluation for the items "time of execution", "clarity", "degree of difficulty" and "importance for clinical practice", both for the OSCE and the VOSCE. Conclusions The OSCE was effective for evaluating clinical competencies and skills in Oral Radiology, both in face-to-face and virtual examinations, but with a limitation in the online method for evaluating technical skills.