Abstract: PURPOSE: To explore the application effect of mind mapping-assisted flipped classroom in clinical endodontics teaching. METHODS: A total of 41 fifth-year undergraduates majoring in stomatology from School of Stomatology, Tongji University, finishing their clinical internship at Departments of Endodontics from October 2023 to March 2024, were randomly divided into control group (traditional teaching group, n=21) and experimental group (flipped classroom teaching group, n=20). Theoretical assessments were conducted on the day of entering the department and at the end of eight weeks in the department. Mini-CEX assessments were conducted in the third week and at the end of the eighth week (including indicators such as medical interviews, clinical examinations, humanistic care, clinical judgment, health education, clinical operations, and overall clinical capabilities). The scores of these two assessment indicators were used to evaluate the mastery extent of basic knowledge and clinical abilities of the two groups of students, and teaching satisfaction questionnaire survey was conducted. SPSS 22.0 software package was used for data analysis. RESULTS: In terms of theoretical assessment results, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the average scores of the first assessment. The average scores of both groups were better than those of the first assessment, and the average scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. In terms of mini-CEX assessment results, at the first assessment, the experimental group was better than the control group in two dimensions of clinical examination and clinical judgment, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in the other five dimensions. In the second assessment, the results of the two groups in 7 dimensions were higher than those of the first assessment, and the scores of the experimental group in 5 dimensions of medical interview, clinical examination, clinical judgment, clinical operation and overall clinical ability were significantly higher than those of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Mind mapping-assisted flipped classroom teaching can significantly improve the subjective initiative of undergraduate students during clinical internships, enhancing their mastery extent of theoretical knowledge and overall clinical capabilities, and significantly improve the teaching effect.

Key words: Flipped classroom, Mind mapping, Endodontics, Mini-CEX, Dental undergraduate students