University of Dundee installs cutting-edge dental simulators
Allowing dental students to practise their motor skills in an augmented reality environment
Dundee University’s School of Dentistry has installed four new SIMtoCARE Dente haptic dental simulators, acquired through Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland) funding. A further two ‘desktop’ simulators will be installed later this year.
Haptic simulators allow dental students to practise their motor skills in an augmented reality (AR) environment.
The units contain pre-loaded 3D dental models, with training tasks covering different specialisms in dentistry. New tasks can also be created by instructors.
An enhanced feature of the Dente model is the ability to upload 3D models from real patients’ intraoral scans into the simulator.
These patient models can then be solidified within the system, so that students can interact with them using AR instruments, such as rotary handpieces, thereby allowing planning of treatment on a virtual patient.
Currently, staff and students are being trained on using the simulators, with staff planning how they can best be integrated into undergraduate teaching at the school.
A spokesperson said staff and students are excited to see how the simulators can be used to enhance preclinical teaching and improve the quality of treatment provided.