Simulation Labs

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry Simulation Program is designed to realistically prepare users, including undergraduate dental students and dental hygiene students, for the performance of dental patient care procedures. 

As a basis for their performance of finite psychomotor skills, students are introduced to the principles of human-centered ergonomics early in their first year. They learn to derive a posture, position, and process for practice in ways that enable the attainment of occupational health and peak performance without compromise of task, patient, or self.

Students then learn to perform dental procedures to high standards of precision, quality, and accountability on lifelike manikins in simulated and real practice settings, before treating patients.

This is accomplished in the School of Dentistry’s state-of-the-art clinical simulation units that replicate the features of a dental practice operatory, and the general practice clinics in which patients receive care. Professional skills and habits acquired in realistic clinical simulation ensure student ease, confidence, and competence in their later application to patient care.

Through the thoughtful use of best practices in simulation education, students will acquire psychomotor, clinical judgment and professional communication skills that are essential to provide quality patient care and safety. 

Education

• Cultivate a learning environment that is collegial, individualized and innovative.
• Provide educational experiences that allow students to learn and practice critical thinking, deliberate practice and communication with patients, families and the healthcare team.
• Increase awareness of patient safety practices in the healthcare environment.
• Integrate best practices and standards of simulation across the curriculum, accounting for clinical variation.

Scholarship

• Encourage and support faculty and student research in the area of healthcare simulation.
• Evaluate simulation and educational strategies for effectiveness and student achievement of learning outcomes.

Outreach

• Teach and foster interdisciplinary teamwork.
• Encourage and provide educational experiences in simulation to local and regional healthcare providers. 

The Simulation Program serves as a learning resource for dental and dental hygiene students, as well as other learners participating in interprofessional learning opportunities. The pre-clinical simulation labs aim to simulate a clinical environment to provide the level of realism and fidelity required to promote experiential learning.

Facilities

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry Simulation Program is home to a 28,000 square foot simulation facility equipped with state-of-the-art instructional equipment. Our facilities include the Ancillary wet-lab, Bench Simulation Room, and Clinical Simulation Room, collectively containing over 170 advanced dental unit simulators, audiovisual instructional teaching stations, digital dental technology, and cutting-edge intraoral CAD/CAM technologies.

Technologies

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry strives to teach students how to use both existing techniques as well as cutting-edge technology that will serve them well into the future.

The Dental School is a widely-recognized leader in teaching computer-aided technologies for the design, analysis and production of dental restorations. The dental CAD/CAM system (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) designs, analyzes and mills tooth crowns. The entire procedure, from tooth preparation to delivery, can be accomplished in an hour.

The Dental School is also the only dental school in the U.S. that exclusively uses digital radiography in its preclinical simulation programs. This allows students to seamlessly transition to working with live patients, since dental clinics also utilize digital radiography.

The facility features digital dental units, electric hand pieces, digital radiography, intra-oral cameras, rotary endodontics, implant simulation, virtual dental school environments, CAD/CAM, digital milling, electronic patient records and remote learning capabilities.

As advanced equipment on the market is demonstrated to be useful, it makes the transition to a pre-clinical simulated learning environment and then ultimately to the School of Dentistry’s clinics where patients benefit from having access to the most advanced technology available.

Continuing Education

In the future, we hope to invite alumni and practicing professionals to use our Simulation Labs for their continuing education and professional development needs. We want to encourage innovative and hands-on methods for continuing education that emphasize cognitive learning and skills development.

Here's what we envision: Our faculty and staff would work with you to help establish and meet your goals for advanced education. With our expertise in dentistry and simulation-based health care, we would help you evaluate your clinical strategies for effectiveness. We would also assist in design, training, and logistical support while providing oversight of the use of various simulation modalities that meet your needs. 

When we are able to do this, we will gladly update this site and welcome you aboard.

Community Outreach

The Simulation Program is actively engaged in community outreach, and hosts programs such as CURE Scholars and Impressions Day that introduce future generations to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers, exciting experiments, and inspiring mentors. We welcome additional opportunities for engagement and look forward to hearing how we can build a better community together.

For more information, and to schedule a consultation to develop simulation-based community events, please contact us at SODSimLab@umaryland.edu.