One of the most advanced simulation programs
Beginning your first year
You start with your own set of teeth. Not the ones in your mouth; the ones in your hand. Technically, it's called a typodont. Almost from the first day of classes, you'll begin working with these teeth, learning dental terminology in your Dental Anatomy class.
Within a month you'll be working on these teeth, using a burr and handpiece in one of our simulation labs. The assignment: One of these teeth is decayed, and you must remove the decay and execute the cavity preparation. Our state-of-the-art computer-assisted DentSim units record and evaluate your work, displaying a virtual image of your progress on the monitor. You can review your work back on the monitor and find out where you might have drilled too deep or at an improper angle or not deep enough. Then try it again. There's a multimedia helper that will help you with terminology and technique.
Our simulation labs are among the most advanced in the world. We use two complementary systems to create the ultimate learning-by-doing experience. There's almost no preliminary lecture involved. The old paradigm of "see one, do one, teach one" has been replaced by a new model. Now, what you learn about tooth preparation in the classroom will immediately make sense because you've already done it- at least in simulation.
The 72 Kavo units simulate a patient and a dental chair. The air syringe is real, as is the water. This makes for an environment unsuited to the delicate circuits and computers of the DentSim units which is why we have two kinds of simulators. In general, the computer-assisted DentSim units are for preparation; the KaVo units are for restoration - fillings, composites, crown and bridge, etc.
The point, of course, is for you to gain experience and confidence. Our simulator labs have made the transition to the clinics much smoother. There is no substitute for plenty of clinical experience. Our investment in high-tech dental education is really a means to get you into the clinic more quickly and to be better prepared and more confident when you greet your first patient.
Impressive results
Impressive? Sure, but the most impressive part is how use of the simulators flattens the learning curve. Research by one of our faculty members confirmed that students using a simulator-based curriculum advanced in two weeks as far as their peers did after a semester of traditional drilling practice.
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