The Potential of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in Dental Education : A Pilot Study

<p> Abstract The arts and the humanities play a unique role in medical education, and for this reason, there is a growing movement to integrate the arts and humanities into health profession education. Unfortunately, there are few reports on the application of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in dental education. Therefore, this pilot study was undertaken to explore the potential of VTS for implementation. Five clinical students and two residents participated. Three VTS sessions were conducted with facilitation by faculty staff. During the pre- and post-tests, the participants were instructed to list the findings of intraoral photographs and intraoral radiographs. At the end of the session, a questionnaire including free-text entries was administered. The post-test showed a slight increase in descriptions. In the questionnaire, the participants felt that VTS helped improve their observation skills, analytical thinking to understand others’ opinions, acceptance of diversity, etc. Since VTS does not require correct answers, it is easy to share feelings and perspectives, and is considered to have the potential to foster empathy in dental education. However, it is difficult to facilitate VTS using only a standard format. VTS is expected to be an effective tool in dental education, but it is also essential to develop facilitators for its implementation.</p>