Vanda Murray of KaVo UK and Ireland outlines the key benefits of utilising high end simulation units in dental training.
As new technology continues to impact tried and tested dental procedures and techniques, it’s vital that training materials are up to speed. Training for contemporary and future dental practice needs to be done on equipment that meets these demands head-on, with accurate simulation equipment that has been designed and manufactured to replicate the real-life clinical situation as closely as possible.
Why is accurate simulation important?
The simulation unit you learn on and train on needs to be just as capable as the patient chair you’re going to be using in practice. With more and more procedures being offered chair-side and same-day, the focus on the patient chair has arguably never been greater. Words like ‘ergonomics’ abound – because everyone wants to work as comfortably and efficiently as possible, probably under increasingly demanding conditions.
With accurate simulation units, these ergonomic conditions can be established at the training stage. This means you can start as you mean to go on: working efficiently and effectively and without any unnecessary work-arounds and additional steps in the workflow, such as having to work without a normal water supply due to insufficient suction, which would never happen in a real life clinical situation
The benefits of a simulation training experience also address the need to focus on key skills, and to practice techniques that are difficult to master first time around, in an environment where the process and procedure can be thoroughly assessed. Simulation is a safe way for the dental professional to hone their skills – but this needs to be done in an accurate a way as possible so that the learnings can be successfully applied in the field.
This scenario is precisely where KaVo started when designing their DSE EXPERT simulation unit – to offer the trainee an accurate patient simulation experience that they can take into successful clinical practice.
KaVo DSE EXPERT design principles
The KaVo DSE EXPERT is built according to the following principles:
- Robust build quality for the demands of the learning environment
- Versatility in terms of placement (the unit has a mobile setting) and usage
- Motorised positioning of the patient simulator, so that the head and shoulders are moved up and down via the foot control or the operator’s control panel, just as they would be on a chair in practice
- Accurate dimensions of the patient head and shoulders, so that the operator understands the ergonomics of working with a real life patient
- A multi-functional foot control, that allows the operator to move the patient and control the handpieces, in line with the more advanced treatment units on the market today
- High quality compressed air and suction that is just as good as the suction in everyday practice, allowing for the normal use of water and suction in all simulated procedures.
Benefits for training providers
What’s more, it’s not just the trainee who benefits from using the KaVo DSE EXPERT. The facility benefits from a versatile, robust simulation unit that can be freely positioned and moved according to what’s on the curriculum. It also stands to save a great deal of money on plant room equipment, thanks to the fact that the unit uses just 45 litres of air per minute (versus a competitive comparison of 110 litres per minute) which also ticks the sustainability credentials box.
KaVo have just installed 100 DSE EXPERTs in Newcastle Dental School, which now joins leading establishments like Glasgow and Plymouth in using KaVo equipment for training. As well as the traditional institutions, where it’s used for both undergraduate and postgraduate training, private clinics have also invested in the simulation units to run hands-on courses.
To find out more and arrange a demo of the DSE EXPERT please get in touch: [email protected].
This article is sponsored by KaVo.
