Simulation helps students learn dental implant ...(ical history examining them and arriving...),Health

If the virtual patient is a candidate for implant therapy, the simulation then ventures into a virtual clinical treatment area, where students decide the type, location and orientation of the implants, type and location of anesthesia and tools for surgery.

"It's realistic. If the student doesn't place anesthesia in the right spot, the patient screams," Dr. Cibirka says.

The game uses Pulse!! Virtual Learning Lab, developed by BreakAway in partnership with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi through funding from the Office of Naval Research.

As effective as the learning tool is, it is intended to supplement not replace actual clinical training.

"It's anytime, anywhere education; a classroom without walls," Dr. Cibirka says. "I think it really fortifies the entire educational experience and capitalizes on the needs of this generation."

To ensure the game reaches the millennial generation, Dr. Cibirka brought students into the design process. Sarah Padolsky, a second-year MCG dental student, served as the student project manager. Student reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and added great value to the final product, says Dr. Cibirka, noting he also worked with a team of faculty subject matter experts to ensure educational accuracy.

The program was funded as part of a $6.2 million contract between MCG and Nobel Biocare, a leading manufacturer of implants and equipment, which also established the School of Dentistry as a Nobel Biocare Center for Excellence.

The program is now being evaluated for functionality and instructional usefulness by more than 20 dental schools in the Nobel Biocare University Partnership Program. This summer it will be launched at 25 universities
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