Blended teaching associated with higher scores among non-dental medical students

A study of undergraduate medical students who were not specializing in dentistry found that blended stomatology instruction was associated with significantly higher theoretical test scores and stronger student ratings of teaching quality than the comparison approach. In the study, blended learning combined prerecorded online lectures with synchronous, face-to-face interactive sessions. Students in the blended-learning group scored an average of 17.76 on the theoretical test, with a standard deviation of 0.89, compared with 16.61 and a standard deviation of 0.58 in the control group, a difference reported at p < 0.001.

The research focused on non-dental medical students receiving education in stomatology, an area identified by the investigators as important but often underrepresented in medical curricula. Before the classes, questionnaires assessed students’ perceptions and readiness for the blended format. After the classes, investigators used theory tests and satisfaction questionnaires to assess learning outcomes, engagement and students’ views of the teaching methods.

They analyzed group differences with a one-way analysis of variance followed by a Tukey-HSD post-hoc test, using p < 0.05 as the threshold for statistical significance. Mean satisfaction with teaching methods was 24.62 in the blended-learning group, with a standard deviation of 0.18, versus 24.25 with a standard deviation of 0.13 in the control group; the reported difference was significant at p < 0.0001. Ratings of overall teaching effects reached 98.56 in the blended group, with a standard deviation of 0.64, compared with 97.34 and a standard deviation of 0.50 among controls, also at p < 0.0001.

The authors also reported better classroom engagement, greater learning enthusiasm and improved knowledge retention, although the supplied results do not include separate numerical estimates for those three outcomes. Despite the measured advantages, the abstract qualifies the interpretation of the theoretical results. It states that improvements in theoretical knowledge were comparable between blended learning and online-only teaching, while blended learning produced better student-perceived teaching quality.

The study therefore does not establish that blended delivery created a large advantage in knowledge acquisition, even though the reported test scores were higher in the blended-learning group. The supplied report also does not state the number of participating students, the duration of the course or the number of instructional sessions, limiting assessment of the intervention’s scale and reproducibility. Self-discipline and time management were identified by the authors as barriers that should be addressed when blended learning is introduced for interdisciplinary dental education.

Overall, the findings support blended stomatology teaching as an approach that received better evaluations and was linked to higher theoretical test performance among non-dental medical students, while the limited details available in the report leave the size and context of the educational benefit uncertain.

Subject of Research: Evaluation of blended stomatology instruction for non-dental undergraduate medical students

Article Title: An assessment of blended learning of Stomatology for non-stomatology medical students

Article References: Huang, J., Yang, B., Yang, G., Zhang, H., Gan, Y., & Wang, Y. (2026). An assessment of blended learning of Stomatology for non-stomatology medical students. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10400-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10400-w

Keywords: blended learning, stomatology education, medical students, online lectures, interactive teaching, test scores, student satisfaction, knowledge retention, dental education, assessment, blended, learning