Fighter pilot technology being used in dentistry

The University of Western Australia’s School of Dentistry will be among the first in Australia to launch cutting-edge technology to dental training, creating a virtual environment to simulate dental procedures.

UWA dentistry students will become the latest to follow in the footsteps of pilots and car manufacturers who have benefited from haptics technology used to simulate car parts for the automotive industry and aeroplanes for the training of commercial and fighter pilots.

About 1150 dental students will benefit from “Moog Simodont Dental Trainers”, learning to drill and manoeuvre instruments, including a dental mirror, practice treating virtual pathological dental conditions and complex cases without potential harm to patients.

The Simodont Dental Trainer machine has been hailed by the Head of the School, Winthrop Professor Andrew Smith, as one of the biggest changes to the teaching of dental skills ever.

(Source: The University of Western Australia (UWA))