Abstract
Simulation-based dental education has been increasingly implemented in dental training. Virtual reality simulators are being explored as an adjunct to dental education. Simulation-based dental education could serve as a powerful aid to preclinical instruction. This article provides an overview of how dental simulators can be used in dental instruction and manual dexterity training, utilizing the Simodont dental trainer as a reference. The Simodont dental trainer provides a platform for students to hone their manual dexterity skills and practice repeatedly prior to conventional clinical simulations. Additionally, it can reduce resource wastage. However, the financial cost of setting up and maintaining the system can be high. The high cost would ultimately limit the number of devices each individual school could afford, as a potential drawback to meeting the training needs of many dental students at one time. The machine’s force-feedback mechanism provides trainees with the tactile experience of drilling into various tissues. Students are empowered via self-learning and assessment, with guidance provided for diagnosis and treatment. From training students on basic operative skills to providing basic aptitude tests for entrance examinations, the Simodont dental trainer’s functions and potential for further development may make it a valuable tool in the field of simulation-based dental education.
Highlights
With the advancement of technology, simulation and virtual reality have facilitated teaching, learning and professional training in dentistry [1]
Simulation-based dental education is being explored as a clinical environment simulator in which preclinical training can be carried out safely
“only 27% of interviewees agreed that the hardness, texture and tactile sensations of Simodont felt realistic for performing pulpotomy and stainless-steel crown exercises” [12]
Summary
With the advancement of technology, simulation and virtual reality have facilitated teaching, learning and professional training in dentistry [1]. Conventional preclinical training involves mannequin heads mounted on a metal rod These phantom heads contain a set of plastic maxillary and mandibular teeth. Dental simulation systems are a newer practice method Typodont teeth are available with different cutting characteristics for enamel, dentine, pulpal tissue and carious tooth structures. These typodont teeth include RTX Caries Teeth (Acadental, Overland Park, KS, USA) and Candent (Candent, Mississauga, ON, Canada). No manufacturers have explained how they created typodont teeth that reproduce the cutting characteristics of sound and carious dental tissues. In addition to issues related to how well the typodont teeth reproduce the cutting characteristics of sound and carious dental tissues, typodont teeth with caries and pulp space are expensive [9,10]
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