Nagpur’s Government Dental College and Hospital (GDCH) will soon become country’s first Government-run dental college to house simulation laboratory with Virtual Reality. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister of Nagpur Devendra Fadnavis, through District Planning Committee, had earmarked the required funds for setting up the laboratory at GDCH. The initial process has already been completed and soon three dental chairs with all accessories will arrive at GDCH. Once simulation laboratory starts functioning, the dental education and training at GDCH will completely change. The arrival of the dental simulator will mark a new era of dental preclinical education. The dental simulator replicates both soft and hard oral tissues as well as providing a clinical diagnosis and treatment environment through Dental Simulator. In Root Canal Treatment while cutting a tooth if a student cuts a larger portion than required then the patient has to carry that fault throughout his or her life. This usually happens not in many cases though. At present in dental colleges, phantom head simulator is used. That includes water spray, dental hand pieces, and other necessary items, providing students with a more realistic environment for diagnosis and treatment. But this method doesn’t caution students of their mistakes. During their training students have to take X-ray so they must know where and how to put the film inside the mouth. During treatment they have to give anaesthesia.

 

The anasthesia needs to be given at a proper place else patient can suffer from pain during treatment. In present practice there too are chairs but those don’t guide the students about their positioning. Explaining the role of dental simulator, Dr Abhay Datarkar, Dean of GDCH, Nagpur told ‘The Hitavada’, “The dental simulator, simulating realistic clinical conditions via VR and force feedback, makes training reversible, repeatable, and environmentally friendly. The simulator chair will help students position it as per the treatment. While cutting a tooth, if student cuts more portion, on screen it will show a red line which means further cut should be avoided. When they perform any procedure or any act, the simulator will give students human-like sense. This particular facility will not only guide student to gain accuracy but also do calculation, analysis of their activity. Students can study it on individual basis and correct themselves next time. This will make them habitual of perfection so that whenever they perform any procedure on human being, the action will be flawless.” Since Dr Datarkar took over as Dean, the GDCH is constantly bringing one or the other innovative things. The college is heading for starting super specialty hospital too which too is a unique concept.