| Title | Applications of Three-Dimensional Imaging and Vitural Reality in Dental Education |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Dentistry |
| Status | Completed |
| Duration | 3 Years |
| Initiation | 04/01/2001 |
| Completion | 03/31/2004 |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Title | Interactive Virtual Tooth Reality |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2001/2002 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Babak Chehroudi |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 32,188 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Babak Chehroudi, Clinical Assistant Professor, Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry |
| Year 1: Summary | One goal of the problem-based, combined Dental-Medical curriculum implemented at UBC in 1997 was to replace the non-interactive teaching practices with small student-centered group sessions. However, subjects such as Anatomy, and the didactic components of Restorative Dentistry, which demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) objects (organs, teeth), still rely heavily on non-interactive, large group lecture sessions. Dentistry, in particular, deals with 3-D objects that can not be ideally illustrated in two-dimensional sketches of textbooks or lecture slides. The alternative of small group instruction is costly, and requires tutors who need to be trained and paid. The main objective of this proposal is to enhance the student-centered approach to dental anatomy and restorative dentistry, utilizing the recent computer-based 3D virtual reality (VR) technology which allows 3-D viewing of objects (teeth) over the web or with a personal computer. Students can have unlimited access to explore and interact with complex anatomical objects in 3-D at their own pace and initiative. This proposal initially involves creation of images showing normal anatomy of teeth and methods of cavity preparation as well as restoration of teeth in 3-D. Eventually the system can be expanded to other aspects of medicine and dentistry. |
| Year 2: Project Title | Virtual Reality in Dentistry: Integration of Animation and VR Object Movies for Teaching and Learning Anatomy, Restorative Dentistry, and Endodontics |
| Year 2: Project Year | Year 2 |
| Year 2: Funding Year | 2002/2003 |
| Year 2: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 2: Principal Investigator | Babak Chehroudi |
| Year 2: Funded Amount | 23,484 |
| Year 2: Team Members | Babak Chehroudi, Clinical Assistant Professor, Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry |
| Year 2: Summary | The specific aim of this project is to enhance the student-centered approach to teaching and learning object-oriented subjects such as anatomy, tooth restoration, and endodontics (root canal treatment) in dentistry utilizing computer-based three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) imaging and movie animation. Integration of live animations of clinical procedures in VR-format allows interactive access for students' study and review prior to performing such procedures on a patient. Currently, demonstration of clinical dental procedures on 3D objects (teeth) still relies heavily on non-interactive, large group lecture sessions, and two-dimensional sketches in textbooks or lecture slides. This project which, is an expansion of last year's TLEF funded project (virtual tooth reality), will utilize the VR laboratory established in the Faculty of Dentistry to achieve the following objectives, (1) creation of interactive VR-images of primary (children's) teeth (the permanent dentition was completed last year), (2) creation of animated movies from restorative procedures which will be converted into VR-format and later integrated with VRimages of restored teeth, (3) creation of 30-VR images of endodontically treated extracted teeth made transparent by decalcification. These VR images also will be complemented with live animated movies of corresponding clinical procedures. |
| Year 3: Project Year | Year 3 |
| Year 3: Funding Year | 2003/2004 |
| Year 3: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 3: Principal Investigator | Babak Chehroudi |
| Year 3: Funded Amount | 25,000 |
| Year 3: Team Members | Babak Chehroudi, Clinical Assistant Professor, Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry |
| Year 3: Summary | The specific aim of this project is to enhance a student-centred approach to teaching and learning objectoriented subjects in dentistry, using computer-generated, three-dimensional (3D), virtual reality (VR) techniques. Previously, TLEFs have supported the application of these techniques to teaching dental anatomy, restorative dentistry and endodontics. The interactive 3D-VR images produced using such techniques were magnified to reveal maximum details for teaching purposes. Such magnified images, however, do not inform students of a tooth's appearance in real-life dimensions. Moreover, the way teeth are viewed by the dentist in real life is dependent on the positioning of the light source and the dentist's head. We wish to teach students how the teeth and restorative cavities should appear when the light source is pointed properly and the operator positioned in an ergonomically correct posture. Incorrect head/eye position in the long term is associated with serious work-related disabilities. The current project is an expansion of previous work and will utilize the VR laboratory established in the Faculty of Dentistry to achieve the following objectives:
The current settings of hardware and software in the VR Laboratory can be adapted to recreate life-sized images of a tooth as well as the real field of vision of an operator. The new VR images will be added to the WebCT site as well as to the Virtual Tooth CD-ROM series. |