Dentists are seeing more complex patients,
employing more advanced equipment
and performing more sophisticated procedures nowadays.
Therefore the needs and the demands
of continuing professional education is escalating.
It's desirable if clinicians are allowed
to see real patients during learning
in order to gain relevant knowledge
and authentic experience.
Certainly, it is unethical and inappropriate
to let clinicians to practise on innocent patients.
To solve the dilemma of the above mentioned,
a life-like simulation may be a good alternative
to human beings.
In fact, in the aviation industry,
flight simulator has been used for many years
with tremendous success.
Flight simulation has made a major contribution
to improve aviation safety.
It also offer considerable financial saving
to airlines and reduce the environmental impact
of civil aviation.
Military pilot can practise for situation
that would be impractical in airborne training exercise.
With the advances seen in the digital technology
in recent years,
it happens that we can combine several technology
to create life-like simulation.
Here I want to share with you
some of our works in these three areas.
First, stereoscopic video,
followed by 3D printed model
and finally, virtual reality.
By setting up stereoscopic cameras in the operating room,
we can capture the environment 360 degrees
and the clinical procedures in three dimensions.
The surgical procedures can be viewed as live broadcast.
With a head-mount device and a mobile phone,
the stereoscopic video can be transmitted
from the operating room to the lecture theatre.
All the participants in a training course
can watch together and the experience is immersive.
Additive manufacturing has been used extensively
by medical dental professions
for anatomical models, laboratory models
and surgical guides.
Recently, multi-material and multi-color models
are introduced for training and research purposes.
CAD model for impacted molar is created
based on real patients' DICOM files.
The model has multi-layers of structures
including mucosa, jaw bone, impacted tooth
and neurovascular bundle.
Once the model is printed, students, trainees
and clinicians can work on it
like working on real patients.
3D model is good
but it is expensive.
Once being used, it is consumed
and a new model is needed.
In virtual reality, each scenario
can be used indefinitely.
By putting on a head-mount device,
the participant will enter
a virtual setting to practise the procedures.
In the virtual world,
it is possible to give the participants
audiovisual signals and tactile feedback.
We believe if we can combine
these three different technologies
in a suitable way
we can build a platform for life-like simulations.
The ultimate goal is to provide students,
trainees and clinicians unlimited opportunities
to see, to practise, and finally,
a better treatment can be delivered.
Nikos MattheosClinical Associate Professor in Implant Dentistry
