UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL PAULISTA
“JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO”
Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia
Campus de São José dos Campos
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2023.e4012
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Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; 26 (4): e4012
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Development of a cell phone application as an auxiliary teaching tool
for the subject of complete dentures
Desenvolvimento de aplicativo de celular intitulado: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, como uma ferramenta
didática auxiliar para a disciplina de prótese total
Michelle de Sá dos Santos GOMES
1
, Gabriel Barroco BRENO
1
, Elisa Camargo KUKULKA
1
, Larissa Araújo Lopes BARRETO
1
,
Tarcisio Jose de Arruda PAES JUNIOR
1
1 - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Departamento de Materiais Odontológicos e Prótese, São José dos
Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.
How to cite: Gomes MSS, Breno GB, Kukulka EC, Barreto LAL, Paes Junior TJA. Development of a cell phone application entitled:
“Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures. Braz Dent Sci.
2023;26(4):e4012. https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2023.e4012
ABSTRACT
Objective: The study aimed to develop a cell phone application entitled: “Total Prosthesis Manual – Rehabilitating smiles”, as an
auxiliary teaching tool for teachers and students through digital technology, with a smartphone. Material and Methods: The tool was
structured on the “Application Factory website”, which allows the creation of mobile applications in different formats, with broad and
interactive features on IOS and Android platforms. The expository format of the content is in slide format, containing descriptive theory
and images about the stages of making a complete prosthesis; from necessary materials, photos and descriptive guidance of the steps.
Results: The application is a complementary teaching resource to assist undergraduate and postgraduate students and professionals
working in the area of complete prosthetics. The theoretical and practical content selected for the application covered all stages of
understanding, development and possible complications associated with the manufacture of a complete bimaxillary prosthesis, from
planning, impressions, models, orientation plans, tooth assembly, adaptations and delivery. Conclusion: The application provided
a low-cost, expandable and easy-to-use teaching resource for teaching complete dentures. It is essential to develop various analyzes
such as user experience tests, application effectiveness, development of new technologies and improvement of techniques, so that their
potential for enriching learning in complete dentures and dentistry in general can be veried.
KEYWORDS
Complete denture; Dental education; Educational technology; Learning; Mobile applications.
RESUMO
Objetivo: O estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver um aplicativo de celular intitulado: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, como
uma ferramenta didática auxiliar para professores e alunos por meio da tecnologia digital, com smartphone. Material e Métodos: A ferramenta
foi estruturada no “site da Fábrica de Aplicativos”, que permite a criação de aplicativos móveis em diversos formatos, com recursos amplos
e interativos nas plataformas IOS e Android. A modalidade expositiva do conteúdo é em formato de slides, contendo teoria descritiva e
imagens sobre as etapas de confecção de uma prótese total; a partir de materiais necessários, fotos e orientação descritiva das etapas.
Resultados: O aplicativo é um recurso didático complementar para auxiliar estudantes de graduação, pós-graduação e prossionais
que atuam na área de prótese total. O conteúdo teórico e prático selecionado para a aplicação visou todas as etapas de compreensão,
desenvolvimento e possíveis complicações associadas à confecção de uma prótese total bimaxilar, desde o planejamento, moldagens,
maquetes, planos de orientação, montagem dos dentes, adaptações e entrega. Conclusão: O aplicativo trouxe um recurso didático de
baixo custo, expansível e fácil de usar para o ensino de próteses totais. É fundamental desenvolver diversas análises como testes de
experiência do usuário, ecácia de aplicação, desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e aprimoramento de técnicas, de forma que possa
ser vericado seu potencial de enriquecimento do aprendizado em prótese total e odontologia em geral.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE
Aplicativos móveis; Aprendizagem; Educação odontológica; Prótese total; Tecnologia educacional.
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Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; 26 (4): e4012
Gomes MSS et al.
Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures
Gomes MSS et al. Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de
Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching
tool for the subject of complete dentures
INTRODUCTION
In the complete prosthesis discipline, the
students’ rst contact is made through theoretical
classes taught by professors, followed by laboratory
practices, prior to the beginning of clinical care.
The professors use various methodologies and
resources such as photos, practical demonstrations
and slides in order to establish the theoretical
and practical content for the manufacture of a
complete mucous-supported prosthesis, respecting
its biological, mechanical and aesthetic principles.
In the discipline in question, aspects related to the
treatment of toothless individuals and with the
need for rehabilitation using complete dentures
are addressed, a treatment determined by the
patient’s examination [1,2].
Theoretical teaching with master classes,
presentation of schematic slides, didactically
illustrated and/or photos and videos are established
teaching methods and considered as the ‘’gold
standard’’ for teaching in the classroom. Resources
that currently use technology, even though they
are not yet present in the curricula of educational
institutions, have become a valuable didactic
attribute in the diversication of teaching methods,
opening up a range of attention capitation and
individual didactic faculties of each student, allowing
a greater embrace of teaching in the classroom, and
leveling students to the same knowledge through
different didactic resources [3]. However, the way
in which information is transmitted can vary the
degree of absorption of the taught content and
learning from student to student [4-7].
The increased use of cell phones and tablets
has provided the ability, not previously realized,
to move information quickly and efciently into
a readily available format [8], hence the growth
of information technology, traditional teaching
methods that are in implementation currently
do not meet educational needs alone [3-5].
In the literature, reports prove that the use of
technology as an auxiliary and complementary
technique, such as the use of applications and
research sites, show improvements in learning,
not only in the area dentistry [6,9,10] as well
as in other areas of health such as medicine
and physiotherapy [11]. The use of new tools
in teaching such as the use of videos, mobile
applications, and software [12-14], in addition to
helping in teaching, innovate teaching and allow
teachers to cover a greater number of students in
terms of understanding of teaching [4-6].
By means of digital technology and with the
purpose of adding tools, the objective of this study
was to develop an application entitled: “Manual
de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, helping
to teach and learn the subject.
This study presents the idealization and
development of the application to be used in
complete prosthetics disciplines and validation
of the method will be carried out in future
work. The application was developed and
after validation it will be made available to
the public.
It is worth mentioning that this content is
based on the sequence of laboratory and clinical
technical procedures adopted didactically
in treatments with total mucosal prostheses
supported by most public and private educational
institutions in Brazil and described in the
relevant literature. The objective is not to
exhaust the subject, but to facilitate learning
and the assimilation of the knowledge acquired
by the student.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Development
The databases used for the research were
PubMed, SciELO - ScienticElectronic Library
Online, Periódicos Capes and Google Scholar.
Within the research result, articles of research
relevance were selected in order to understand
the main difficulties of students in complete
dentures and to identify the development of
teaching technologies in the area of dentistry and
health in general. Through the results obtained,
an auxiliary didactic tool was developed through
a mobile application.
The application entitled “Manual de Prótese
Total – Reabilitando sorrisos” was developed with
the aim of assisting students in the procedures
during the daily practice of making a complete
denture. All theoretical and practical content
was based and respectfully on the literature
recommended in the teaching plan of this
institute’s discipline. The expository mode of
the content is in slide format in an effective
way, of simple visualization and understanding,
containing descriptive theory and images about
the stages of making a complete denture, from
necessary materials, images and descriptive
guidance of the steps.
3
Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; (4): e4012
Gomes MSS et al.
Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures
Gomes MSS et al. Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de
Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching
tool for the subject of complete dentures
The application itself was developed through
an interactive platform called “Fábrica de
Applicativos” [15]. The Application Factory system
allows the creation of commercial applications, for
study and commercial dissemination. It allows the
designer’s prior planning, editing and corrections,
has several aesthetic designers and auxiliary
resources such as texts, images, gallery, user
feedback, voice les, suggestion box and questions,
among other broad and interactive contents. The
system also allows the development and availability
of the application for the IOS and Android
platforms (two of the platforms universally used by
students in the public of interest so that everyone
can have access for a more effective experience.
The application interface can be seen in Figure 1
Application content
• Introduction
• Anatomy of the toothless tooth
o Maxilla
o Mandible
• Basal areas
o Basal area of the maxilla
o Basal area of the mandible
o Maxilla relief zones
o Mandibular relief zones
• Anatomic molding
o Materials needed
o Individualization of the tray
o Molding of the maxilla
o Molding of the mandible
• Study models
o Materials needed
o Technique
o Final model of the maxilla
o Final model of the mandible
Figure 1 - Home screen and application content.
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Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; 26 (4): e4012
Gomes MSS et al.
Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures
Gomes MSS et al. Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de
Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching
tool for the subject of complete dentures
• Individual tray
o Materials needed
o Technique
o Maxillary nal tray
o Mandibular nal tray
• Functional impression
o Materials needed
o Individualization of the tray
o Impression of the maxilla
o Impression of the jaw
o Final impression of the maxilla
o Final impression of the mandible
• Work model
o Materials needed
o Dicing
o Technique
o Final model of the maxilla
o Final model of the mandible
• Proof base
o Materials needed
o Technique
o Final test base of the maxilla
o Mandibular nal proof base
• Orientation plans
o Materials needed
o Confection of superior orientation plan
o Confection of inferior orientation plan
o Superior nal orientation plane (Maxilla)
o Inferior nal orientation plane (Mandible)
o Individualization
o Assembly of the upper plane in articulator
o Assembly of the lower plane in articulator
• Articulators
o Facebow
o Vertical dimension
o Relationship centric
o Compensation curve
• Articial teeth
o Selection of teeth
o Materials needed
o Assembly of teeth 11-21
o Assembly of teeth 12-22
o Assembly of teeth 13-23
o Assembly of teeth 14-15-24-25
o Assembly of teeth 16-26
o Assembly of teeth 36-46 occlusion key
o Assembly of teeth 17-27
o Assembly of teeth 45-35
o Assembly of teeth 41-42-43-31-32-33
o Assembly of teeth 43-33
o Assembly of nal teeth
• Aesthetic and functional test
• Ceroplasty
o Materials needed
o Sculpture
• Installation of complete dentures and subsequent
care
• Rebasing
o Technical Ofce
o Laboratory Technician
• Immediate Prosthesis
o Impression and model
o Wax roller and teeth assembly
o Extractions
o Installation
• References
It is worth emphasizing that this content is
based on the sequence of technical laboratory
and clinical conducts adopted didactically in
treatments using mucous-supported complete
dentures by most public and private educational
institutions in Brazil and described in the
relevant literature. The objective is not to
exhaust the subject, but to facilitate the learning
and assimilation of the knowledge acquired by
the student.
5
Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; (4): e4012
Gomes MSS et al.
Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures
Gomes MSS et al. Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de
Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching
tool for the subject of complete dentures
RESULTS
The application “Manual de Prótese Total –
Reabilitando sorrisos” is a complementary didactic
resource to assist undergraduate and graduate
students and professionals working in the eld of
complete prosthesis. The theoretical and practical
content selected for the application aimed at all
stages of understanding, development and possible
complications associated with the manufacture of
a complete bimaxillary denture, from planning,
impressions, models, orientation plans, assembly
of teeth, ttings and delivery. All theoretical and
practical content and manufacturing techniques
were based on the teaching plan of the complete
prosthesis discipline at the Institute of Science
and Technology – ICT -UNESP – SJC.
DISCUSSION
In dentistry, it is of great importance the
need for a good knowledge of the theoretical
base, added to an efcient clinical practice so
that the student develops the profession in an
adequate way, with the purpose of satisfying
the needs of health, function and aesthetics
of their patients. We know that this practical
day-to-day activity requires students to constantly
renew their theoretical knowledge, in addition
to manual and postural skills. One of the great
challenges in teaching is to cover the diversity
of students in the classroom, with the greatest
amount of efcient content, that is, the amount
of content learned by students, the development
of teaching aid techniques that optimize teaching,
facilitate learning and expand the number of
didactic resources for teachers [1,2,6].
Complete denture steps include: planning,
diagnosis, impressions, individual trays, preparation
of orientation plans, among other basic requirements
and steps for completing a rehabilitation with
prostheses that can inuence failures or defects in
the result of complete dentures. A good complete
denture is based on some fundamental principles like
retention, support and stability. When some of these
fabrication steps are neglected or not performed
correctly, they can impair the functionality and
the nal result of complete dentures. When the
difficulties are not resolved, as in the complete
denture discipline, mainly in simpler procedures
such as a functional impression, or the making of
a wax roller, they can generate unwanted future
results at the end of the complete denture process,
and therefore, the use of auxiliary and alternative
teaching methods can add and vary the information,
adding knowledge to better processes, thus
generating better results [1,2,6,16,17].
Nowadays, we recognize the great inuence
that cell phones and other software have on
people’s lives, especially in generation Y and Z.
Studies show that these generations, because they
are exposed to these technologies from an early
age, acquire digital literacy as easily as walking
and speak, and with that, have positive impacts
on the learning process. With this, the study is
developed in a cell phone application, perhaps
the most common software, with greater ease
of understanding and handling among students
present in universities today [2,3,18]. The use of
cell phones has an enormous untapped educational
potential for the current generation [19].
Within the objective of the present study,
a cell phone application was developed with
the purpose of helping students and teachers in
the discipline of complete dentures in dentistry
courses. In a simple, effective and interactive
way, the platform can be used as a resource for
theoretical and practical study in the classroom
and/or laboratory, home study, pre-exam review
and even a consultation resource in clinical daily
life that the future dental surgeon will take
over. The mobile application platform has its
content exemplied in slide shows, the theory
is discursive, based on the renowned literature
in the area and added to photographs, authorial
images and schematic drawings elucidating and
completing the theoretical content.
The research application in question comes as
a new tool to assist students in all procedures for
making a complete prosthesis, using explanatory
texts, theoretical content based on established
literature, on texts recommended and developed by
the discipline complete prosthesis from ICT UNESP,
São José dos Campos [6] and step-by-step images
with practical and visual theoretical content.
In the literature, aid applications are found
for fixed partial denture [6] and removable
partial denture disciplines [13], however,
regarding complete dentures, it is rare to nd any
technological aid tool. Technology encompasses
and assists in all processes from theoretical
understanding to making a complete prosthesis;
from the clinical examination and diagnosis,
through the clinical and laboratory stages, to the
delivery of the prostheses, guidance and control.
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Braz Dent Sci 2023 Oct/Dec; 26 (4): e4012
Gomes MSS et al.
Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching tool for the subject of complete dentures
Gomes MSS et al. Development of a cell phone application entitled: “Manual de
Prótese Total – Reabilitando sorrisos”, as an auxiliary teaching
tool for the subject of complete dentures
No similar didactic tool was found in the literature
within the discipline of complete dentures. Due to
the diversity of student proles in the classroom
currently occupied by the accelerated generation
Y, auxiliary teaching methods are necessary and
useful to expand teaching in complete dentures.
The development and applicability of a didactic
cell phone application provides a low-cost,
expandable and easy-to-use didactic resource
for enriching learning in complete dentures
and dentistry.
The development of new technologies, such
as a cell phone application, to assist clinical
practice in the complete denture discipline
aims at predicting the nal results in the nal
rehabilitation prostheses delivered to patients
not only during university life, but also in the
professional life of students. However, the
didactic experience of the students in front of
a new teaching technology does not make the
method viable as an applicable and efficient
didactic tool to help in the learning of the content,
therefore the study has as a future challenge
to prove the effectiveness of the method and
the experience of the student in front of to the
method, evaluating the process, the learning
and the results for the confection of a complete
denture with the help of the professors.
Limitations of this work
The initial proposal was to test this
application with undergraduate students, having
a signicant number of responses to the use of
the tool that could bring important inferences
in conducting the best ways to use and edit this
manual. Unfortunately, this stage could not be
completed due to the stoppage of in-person
activities at the university due to the coronavirus
pandemic. It is intended to continue this study
in due course.
CONCLUSION
The mobile application brings a low-cost,
expandable and easy-to-use didactic resource
for teaching complete dentures. It is essential to
develop several analyzes such as user experience
tests, application effectiveness, development of
new technologies and technique improvement,
in such a way that its potential for enriching
learning in complete dentures and dentistry in
general can be veried.
Authors’ contribution
MSSG: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Software, Writing – Review & Editing and Funding
Acquisition. GBB: Methodology, Software and
Writing – Review & Editing. ECK: Writing –
Review & Editing. LALB: Writing – Review &
Editing. TJAPJ: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Supervision and Project Administration.
Conict of Interest
The authors have no proprietary, nancial,
or other personal interest of any nature or kind
in any product, service, and/or company that is
presented in this article.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Regulatory Statement
The work carried out involves the idealization
and development of an application, where no
experiments have been carried out on humans
or animals, it is not necessary to submit the work
on an ethics committee local to the institution in
which it was developed.
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Elisa Camargo Kukulka
(Corresponding address)
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Departamento de
Materiais Odontológicos e Prótese, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.
Email: Elisa.c.kukulka@unesp.br Date submitted: 2023 Aug 24
Accepted submission: 2023 Oct 26