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U-M Regents OK Preclinic Renovations


Ann Arbor, MI — January 17, 2003 — Almost as soon as classes end in late April at the School of Dentistry, renovations will begin to one of two preclinics on the ground floor. At their January 16th meeting, U-M Regents authorized renovations to the west preclinic. The renovations will be the first to that facility since the dental school was constructed in 1969.

In the preclinics, first- and second-year dental students learn to develop their dexterity skills before they actually begin treating patients in the School’s clinics.

Renovations to the first preclinic – the west unit – are expected to take about a year. The cost of revamp both the east and west preclinics will total approximately $7 million. Funds will be raised from gifts from alumni and friends of the School of Dentistry.

When the work has been completed, new U-M dental students will find the latest technology playing a major role in their training and education.

The new technology will include a raised demonstration platform with a simulation unit which will enable an instructor to send instructional videos to each student’s monitor. “These units will provide a front seat for every student,” said Dr. Merle Jaarda, associate professor of dentistry, during a demonstration of a prototype.

Each unit is a multi-disciplinary workstation equipped with a flat-screen monitor where instructors can send audio and visual messages using images from 35-mm slides, videotapes, CD-ROMs, or the World Wide Web. The simulators will teach new dental students the correct ergonomic positioning to help them develop and refine their dexterity skills. Each unit will also have a mannequin head that pivots right and left to simulate the correct positioning of a patient for any type of operating procedure.

Units will be connected to a central suction supply and will have a water spray to provide for preparation of ivorine teeth using water. Lab benches will also have a self-contained dry suction system to collect dust and filter out noxious odors. When finished, students can put away their instruments and lock their unit behind a pull down drawer.

A generous new gift of $1 million, and a $1 million allocation from a previous gift from Dr. Roy Roberts and his wife, Natalie, account for $2 million of the $3.4 million needed to fully fund the renovations to the west preclinic. Upon full funding and completion of west preclinic renovations, work on the east preclinic will begin.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.

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