The University of Iowa College of Dentistry , in collaboration with the Virtual Hospital. Each operatory has a mannequin with a realistic tooth model and jaws that function very much like a human's. Each unit also has a video monitor, dental instruments, and connections for laptop computers, which will provide simulated patient records and other electronic resources.
Students work with a mannequin's dentiform while following instructions for a dental procedure.
The mannequin is positioned like a reclining patient in a realistic clinical setting. At the instuctor's station, faculty members supplement lectures by demonstrating dental techniques via slides, digital radiographs, and video and live images, which are broadcast to each student's simulator station. The multimedia instruction gives students both the opportunity to see magnified views of procedures and review taped demonstrations. The faculty can also maintain contact with students as they work on a patient case scenario. At the instructors' station, faculty use the multimedia system to demonstrate different techniques or broadcast slides, digital radiographs, or video and live images to each station.