New clinical facilities will transform dental education and training Published on: 7 February 2025 Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s 125-year history of dentistry education, treatment and research has an exciting future with the launch of new multi-million pound facilities. The School of Dental Sciences at Â鶹´«Ã½ has been enhanced with the opening of its new Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities, allowing students to train with cutting-edge equipment to keep them up to date with the latest technology in their field. Funded by Â鶹´«Ã½ and the , the £5.5 million unit is set to transform the learning and experience of students, dental clinicians and patients. New Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities ‘Benefits to education and research’ The facilities include traditional dental simulation with new ‘phantom heads’, enhanced training in dental prosthetics, an x-ray department, and a postgraduate simulation suite with operating microscopes for learning key techniques in advanced non-surgical and surgical dentistry. Â鶹´«Ã½’s School of Dental Sciences works in collaboration with the and the new facility is a prime example of their close partnership. Professor Chris Day, Vice Chancellor and President of Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “The equipment and technology that has been installed is at the cutting edge of dental science and we are excited to start using the new unit. “Combined with the expertise and professionalism of our NHS dental technicians, nurses and clinical colleagues, these facilities will contribute significantly to current and future generations of dental students and the patients they go on to treat. “We are very fortunate to work closely with Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals as our partnership brings benefits not only to education and research but also, critically, for the services we provide to patients from across the North of England and beyond.” The facility will prepare graduates for an increasingly digital workplace. Students will benefit from enhancements in audio visual equipment, with the ability for patient treatments to be streamed live from a demonstration dental surgery into their seminar room. Each year, around 30,000 patients are treated by Â鶹´«Ã½ students at the Dental Hospital based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and clinics in the city’s Arthur’s Hill, Byker and Kenton. There is also an award-winning dental outreach scheme, called Brush Up, that sees student volunteers work with local schools and community groups to provide important oral health and dietary advice. Professor Chris Vernazza, Interim Head of School of Dental Sciences at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “I’m delighted at the opening of the Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities, which will allow our students to train with the best equipment to prepare them for their careers. “The unit enables us to offer new and more flexible education opportunities in oral health for the benefit of patients. “We are particularly proud of the new digital equipment, including operating microscopes, mouth scanners and 3D printing that mean our graduates are well equipped for the future of oral health care.” Student in the Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities ‘Excellence in patient care, education and training’ The Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities is the latest University estates project to have completed on time and on budget. Dr Simon Stone, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Endodontics, who led the project, said: “Like many professions, dentistry is making more and more use of digital technologies. “We have created a place where technology allows students to observe live dental surgeries remotely. They can practice dental procedures on digital and physical simulators, and they can also work with digital manufacturing techniques to make dental restorations such as crowns, veneers and bridges. “Everybody involved in this project has worked together to not only deliver these new facilities on time, and on budget, but also to complete the work without disrupting the other dental clinics and laboratories in the building.” The project was completed by Robertson Construction with GSS Architecture and Identity Consult, under the guidance of Â鶹´«Ã½ and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals estates teams. , Chief Executive of Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals, said: “Â鶹´«Ã½ Dental Hospital has a long-standing history of excellence in patient care, education, and training, along with a global reputation for research that positively impacts oral health. “This modern facility will help to train the next generation of dentists in the latest techniques and treatments, which will greatly benefit our patients. “This project is thanks to a well-established partnership between Â鶹´«Ã½ Hospitals and Â鶹´«Ã½’s School of Dental Sciences. My thanks go to everyone involved in making this possible and providing the best care to our patients.” (L-R) Professor Chris Day and Sir Jim Mackey at the opening of the Dental Clinical Simulation Facilities Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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