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INTRODUCTION There are only sporadic references in literature regarding general medicine and dentistry student´s preparedness for Histology, study resources and how students might use them in the era of virtual microscopy. METHODS A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate students´ opinion, with 192 students of general medicine and 82 students of dentistry responding. RESULTS The dentistry students evaluate their previous knowledge of basic high school disciplines as less helpful when compared to their general medicine colleagues, but this difference diminishes during the first year of medical school studies. Students of dentistry display a better orientation in the amount of study resources (electronic vs printed) and also the ways of their use (practical vs theoretical preparation). The main problems surfacing in the study of Histology have been: the lack of time due to the high demands of Anatomy, problems with correct identification of structures in specimens and correct orientation in a large number of available study resources. Students indicate that they would appreciate the introduction of interactive exercise tests to verify practical and theoretical knowledge. CONCLUSION We revealed significant differences between students of general medicine and dentistry in terms of student´s preparedness and learning habits. According to our findings, it is still necessary to further develop teaching methods utilising virtual microscopy, taking into account the needs of both general medicine and dental school students.

INTRODUCTION Virtual microscopy, used as a method to teach histology, has many undeniable advantages. However, the usefulness of this method is somewhat limited by the difficulties students face in finding their way through huge amounts of digital data, compounded by decreased interaction between students and teachers. We describe the results of a recent pilot project which combined the modern teaching methods of active learning, where students themselves present histological slides and make use of the virtual microscopy system. METHODS Students' responses to a structured questionnaire and examination results were evaluated. RESULTS We found that a combination of both electronic materials and textbooks was commonly used by students to prepare for practical teaching sessions, with electronic resources being used regularly by the majority of students. No statistically relevant differences were found between the approaches of dentistry vs general medicine students. Cooperation between students' groups during the preparation for individual presentations was seen to be beneficial by a majority of dentistry students; they reported that the introduction of student-led presentations improved their quality of preparation for practical lessons, as well as increasing their participation and activity level in the lessons themselves. These different approaches and motivations between students of dentistry and general medicine are reflected in the test results where dentistry students are more successful. CONCLUSION We confirm that there are differences in motivation, approaches and examination results between both groups of students, which should be taken into account and which could lead to differentiation of future curricula for both study courses.