Dentists learn with virtual drill
To the high-pitched sound of numerous drills, students get to work removing a decayed tooth.
Their patients need not be afraid though, as these want-to-be dentists are practising on 3D virtual-reality jaws, not the real thing.
The 14 work stations lined up in a lab at Europe's largest dental school, King's College London, use a technology that allows the student to learn how much pressure they should use when drilling.
The device, called HapTEL (haptics in technology-enhanced learning), received the excellence in education innovation award at the Medical Futures ceremony earlier this month.
The project is a collaboration between dentists from Guy's Hospital, technical developers from Reading University and Birmingham City University, and e-learning professionals from King's College London.
How it works
The drill is based on haptics, a tactile feedback technology through which the user can sense touch and force in a virtual-reality environment.
The hub at the centre of the work station is based on that used in the gaming industry.
A foot pedal, recycled from an old dental chair, allows the student to operate the drill.
The work station lets the student feel the difference between drilling hard enamel and softer decayed tooth and helps them learn how much pressure is needed.
Prof Margaret Cox, who led the project, says: "When the students first learn, they lean very heavily on the drill and go straight through the tooth to the gum - which would be disastrous in a real patient. They also take ages. This allows the student to learn both skill and speed."
The student wears glasses that produce a 3D jaw on the computer screen. Panels on the edge of the glasses, and a head tracking camera, allow the jaw image to move relative to the student's head position, allowing them the real-world experience of examining the teeth from different angles.
Sadhvik Vijay, a second year student, says: "When you first come into dentistry everything is very alien to you, the way you position your hand, the tiny movements that you need to perform procedures - it is difficult.
"This allows you to repeat a task over and over again, it gets ingrained into your muscle memory, and improves your manual dexterity."
Stepping up the game
Students start by learning to remove a small bit of decayed material from a single tooth. The tasks then become more complex until they are removing decayed material hidden by healthy enamel set in a whole jaw.
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This is going to hurt: 40% of us avoid dentist visits because of the cost. Photograph: Alamy Four in 10 people in the UK admit to skipping routine visits to the dentist because they can't afford to pay the bills, according to recent research.

Their patients need not be afraid though, as these want-to-be dentists are practising on 3D virtual-reality jaws, not the real thing. The 14 work stations lined up in a lab at Europe's largest dental school, King's College London, use a technology that
NHS Cumbria needs to take action now to improve this situation quickly,” Residents can contact Mr Farron on Facebook at www.facebook.com/timfarronmp or on twitter @timfarron. Alternatively, email tim@timfarron.co.uk or contact his Kendal office.

This is the dentist's surgery on Picturesque Street. Sergei Panov, the Picturesque Street dentist, hopes "life will get easier for small and medium-sized businesses like mine. We pay so much tax and there's so much bureaucracy to deal with.
The GDC, which quality assures the education of dentists across the UK, subsequently carried out an inspection and is due to publish its report within months. The results of the inspection are not yet known, but it has called into question the
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