With a faculty known throughout the world for clinical education excellence and pioneering dental research and technology, the School of Dentistry is ready to embrace a complete transformation. Moos Tower is about to become home to a new 11,200-square-foot Simulation Clinic, designed to create a realistic patient environment.
Individual Simulation Stations
In one hundred individual Simulation Stations, each student will watch (on personal flat-screen monitors) as the instructor demonstrates procedures from a central station. They will be able to fine-tune their manual dexterity skills and eye-hand coordination by practicing restorative procedures on mannequins that have an upper torso with adjustable head, oral cavities with flexible, lifelike cheeks, jaws and lips, and a full complement of teeth. Operatory equipment in the Simulation Stations will include high and low-speed handpieces with fiber optics and water spray, along with suction to remove debris.
Advanced Simulation Stations
Students will hone their clinical skills at twenty Advanced Simulation Stations equipped with motion-tracking systems, on-screen textbooks, and patient histories and radiographs for over 100 clinical procedures of varying difficulty. Light-emitting diodes on the mannequin and handpiece measure the angle and depth of the student’s tooth preparation in tenths of a millimeter, feeding the information to an overhead infrared camera and computer. A video clip of every tooth prep is retained for review by students and faculty.
Chair-side monitors display feedback in numeric measurements and 3-D color images that document tooth structure removal in real time. Students view their work side-by-side or overlaid on an ideally prepared tooth. Images change in real time as tooth structure is removed. If the preparation gets too close to the pulp, the unit beeps to signal a pulpal exposure. Discrepancies are noted and evaluations are immediate. Students won’t have to wait for bench instructor approval.
The benefits of these high-tech teaching tools to future dental school students are undeniable.
You can contribute in a variety of ways to this exciting new addition to the School of Dentistry. If you have questions about which method of giving is right for you, feel free to contact us.