Take a virtual tour of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry Simulation Clinic!
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is celebrating the addition of a $9.5 million state-of-the-art simulation clinic – filled with new unique and interactive technology that’ll make the University of Minnesota home to one of the newest and most advanced dental education facilities in the country.
The new technology allows preclinical dental students to fine-tune their eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity skills, and to learn the techniques and procedures they’ll need to treat patients – all without having a ‘real’ patient present. They’ll learn faster and better, with greater precision and accuracy. The lab has the potential to revolutionize the way dental students learn.
The combined equipment in the 11,200 square foot clinic – 100 patient simulators with a realistic oral cavity, flexible cheeks, and a full complement of teeth, plus modern operatory equipment and flat-screen monitors; a technology room and wet lab; and 20 virtual reality-based advanced student stations equipped with life-like mannequins, computers, cameras and LED-tracked drills (that measure a student’s tooth preparation in tenths of a millimeter) – exists at no other BIG 10 dental school.
“The equipment has made us reevaluate the way we educate dental students,” said Patrick Lloyd, dean of the School of Dentistry. “It is dental education designed for students raised in the digital era.”