Dental students to train on ‘lifelike’ mouth models

A joint project between NTU researcher Richard Arm and colleagues Michael Milward and Paul Cooper, from the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, will allow student dentists to experience and learn how it feels to use periodontal probes to check for gum disease.

Funded by the University of Birmingham’s Alumni Impact Fund, the models feature realistic gums as well as tongues which feel and behave like the real thing. These models will allow students to learn how to examine the mouth safely and check for disease.

Made from synthetic gels and fibres, the tongue and gums vary in hardness to mimic living tissue while the teeth and jaw bones are made from bone-simulating resin.

“The aim is to give students the psychological experience of how it feels to perform real dentistry, but in a safe learning environment,” said PhD candidate Mr Arm, of the Advanced Textiles Research Group at NTU’s School of Art and Design.