Impact of Gamification Compared to Conventional Teaching Among Dental Students in Egypt: A Crossover Controlled Trial

This study is designed to evaluate the effect of gamification-based teaching strategies on learning outcomes and student engagement in undergraduate oral pathology education. Traditional didactic teaching methods in dental education are often associated with passive learning and variable student engagement. In response, educational gamification has emerged as an innovative pedagogical approach that integrates game elements into learning activities to enhance motivation, participation, and knowledge retention.

This study employs a crossover interventional design involving undergraduate dental students enrolled in an Oral Pathology course. Participants will be exposed to both traditional teaching methods and gamified learning interventions in a structured sequence, allowing each participant to serve as their own control. The gamified intervention includes the use of an online game designed on Genially to reinforce key concepts in Oral Pathology. The traditional control arm consists of standard lecture-based instruction without gamification elements.

The primary objective of this study is to compare knowledge acquisition between gamified and traditional teaching approaches, measured through standardized assessments administered after each intervention phase. Secondary objectives include evaluating student engagement, satisfaction, and perception of learning effectiveness using validated structured questionnaires.

The study aims to determine whether gamification enhances academic performance and improves student engagement compared to conventional teaching methods. It also seeks to explore student perceptions of innovative teaching strategies and their potential integration into the dental curriculum.

Data will be collected at multiple time points corresponding to each phase of the crossover design. Statistical analysis will compare outcomes between intervention periods, accounting for within-subject variability. The findings are expected to provide evidence-based insights into the effectiveness of gamification in dental education and support curriculum development strategies aimed at improving active learning and student-centered teaching approaches.

This study addresses an important gap in dental education research by systematically evaluating gamification using a controlled crossover design, providing robust comparative data between traditional and innovative teaching methods in oral pathology education.