Gamification in dental education: Role of Kahoot in enhancing student engagement, learning outcomes and knowledge retention

Abstract

Objective: Digital technology in education has made a significant change in pedagogy where Gamification has become a novel approach of instruction involving competition, scoring, rewards and leaderboards that is capable of enhancing motivation and engagement of learners.  Kahoot is the most widely used online game-based learning platform that not only create interactive quizzes but also conduct real-time testing which amplifies learning of educators. The objective of this narrative review is to assesses the effects of Kahoot in encouraging student engagement, enhancing learning and knowledge retention regarding dental education.

Methodology: Literature search of major databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar was carried out that focused on literature from 2020-2025. Keywords that were used in search included Kahoot, gamification, game-based learning, dental education and student engagement. Studies that investigated use of Kahoot or other gamified modes of learning in dental or in other contexts of health-profession education were included. Papers that did not include empirical evaluation or were not related to education were eliminated. First search brought about 312 records, upon eliminating duplicates, filtering titles and abstracts only. 78 full-text articles were evaluated on their eligibility and 32 studies were finally selected as part of qualitative synthesis.

Results: Synthesized evidence showed that classroom participation, active learning, motivation and engagement among students were improved with Kahoot. Various studies revealed significant positive changes in academic achievement and more conceptual level of understanding among participants. Kahoot supported formative assessment process because it depicted immediate instructor instant feedback that helped in identifying knowledge deficiencies during instructional process. Some drawbacks have been mentioned such as  more reliance on technological infrastructure, lack of information regarding long-term results and non-utilization for summative assessment mechanisms.

Conclusion: Kahoot is the most useful auxiliary learning tool in developing an interactive learning environment and enhancing retention of information for dental education. Further studies are required to determine its long-term effectiveness and overcome technological and pedagogical obstacles that can be encountered in its implementation.