As a means to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic, educational institutes were forced
to stop the accustomed face-to-face teaching methods and adopt an online scheme to ensure the continuity
of the education process. Furthermore, only a minimal period of clinical training was offered to the students
during the pandemic and this highlighted the critical need to expand and improve the dental simulation
curriculum. This article aims to highlight the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the students and educators in
dental schools. This perspective paper will also discuss the effectiveness of online teaching and the challenges
in learning environment at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya during the pandemic, based on
observations and published literature.