Virtual teaching at Australian uni improves dental reality - Bite magazine

Virtual and augmented world technologies are being utilized arsenic an important teaching instrumentality for University of Queensland dentistry students, who practise with 3D headsets earlier moving connected real-life clients. 

Dr Sobia Zafar from the Digital Dental Team astatine UQ’s School of Dentistry said technology-enhanced learning had transformed the acquisition of much than 400 students successful the past 4 years.

“Training dental students is simply a analyzable process arsenic it requires a batch of good centrifugal skills, arsenic good arsenic hand-foot and -eye coordination,” Dr Zafar said. 

“Despite having simulation sessions to supply a creaseless modulation into clinics, 87 per cent of students said they felt they needed further grooming earlier being enactment successful a real-life setting. 

“That’s wherefore we decided to embed some virtual and augmented world technologies into our classes to supply extra, immersive grooming for students. 

“Virtual world allows students to practise successful a harmless environment, marque mistakes they tin rectify, and amended their assurance earlier entering a session to dainty existent clients.”

When wearing a virtual world headset, students interact with 3D holographic images that let them to spot done tegument to research the quality body, peculiarly the parts applicable to their studies specified arsenic caput and cervix anatomy.

With the augmented world technology, students deterioration a headset and built-in sensors mimic their movements arsenic they navigate a virtual dental session and interact with a virtual patient. 

Students tin besides practise administering section anaesthesia done bundle co-developed by Dr Zafar and Dr Jessica Zachar, thing caller to this country of teaching. 

Dr Zachar said the team’s extremity was to supply stimulating learning environments truthful students tin make into well-rounded wellness professionals. 

“These integer teaching tools person helped students maximise their imaginable and grow their cognition successful dental trauma management, dental anatomy and section anaesthesia administration,” Dr Zachar said. 

“We privation to acceptable students up to go leaders wrong the assemblage and section community, delivering optimum wellness care.”