Educational Impact of 3D-Printed Cleft Lip and Palate Phantom Models in Undergraduate Orthodontic Training

This study explored how the use of 3D-printed phantom heads representing cleft lip and palate (CLP) affects learning and satisfaction in fourth-year dental students at J. W. Goethe University Frankfurt. The aim was to determine whether hands-on interaction with these models improves understanding and retention of relevant anatomical knowledge compared to traditional lectures. Researchers created six life-sized phantom heads with detachable mandibles—three exhibiting unilateral and three bilateral CLP—using MRI-based designs in ZBrush (Pixologic Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA) and printed them on an Asiga Pro 4K 3D printer (Asiga, Sydney, Australia). Eighty-one students were split into two groups: the control group (n = 39) attended a conventional lecture on CLP, while the intervention group (n = 42) participated in an interactive session combining the same lecture with practical exercises using the 3D-printed models. Knowledge acquisition and self-confidence were measured before and after the sessions using multiple-choice tests and self-assessment questionnaires. Statistical analysis employed chi-square tests for item-level comparisons and Wilcoxon rank tests for overall knowledge gains, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Both the control and intervention groups exhibited significant improvements in knowledge and self-assessed competence following the sessions (p < 0.001). Notably, the intervention group demonstrated superior gains in understanding the anatomical features of unilateral CLP compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Incorporating 3D-printed CLP models into dental education enhances students’ anatomical comprehension and engagement, demonstrating clear added value over traditional lecture-based teaching methods.