The development of a learning management system for dental radiology education: A technical report

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to suggest the development of a learning management system for dental radiology education using the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Moodle is a well-known and verified open-source software-learning management system (OSS-LMS). The Moodle software was installed on a server computer and customized for dental radiology education. The system was implemented for teaching undergraduate students to diagnose dental caries in panoramic images. Questions were chosen that could assess students' diagnosis ability. Students were given several questions corre-sponding to each of 100 panoramic images. RESULTS: The installation and customization of Moodle was feasible, cost-effective, and time-saving. By having students answer questions repeatedly, it was possible to train them to examine panoramic images sequentially and thoroughly. CONCLUSION: Based on its educational efficiency and efficacy, the adaptation of an OSS-LMS in dental school may be highly recommended. The system could be extended to continuing education for dentists. Further studies on the objective evaluation of knowledge acquisition and retention are needed.