Skip to content

Dental students to train on ‘lifelike’ mouth models

Dental models with the tactile qualities of real mouths will be used to train the next generation of dentists thanks to new research by Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Birmingham.

    Dental students to train on ‘lifelike’ mouth models

    Dental models with the tactile qualities of real mouths will be used to train the next generation of dentists thanks to new research by Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Birmingham.

    A joint project between NTU researcher Richard Arm and colleagues Michael Milward and Paul Cooper, from the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, will allow student dentists to experience and learn how it feels to use periodontal probes to check for gum disease.

    Funded by the University of Birmingham’s Alumni Impact Fund, the models feature realistic gums as well as tongues which feel and behave like the real thing. These models will allow students to learn how to examine the mouth safely and check for disease.

    Made from synthetic gels and fibres, the tongue and gums vary in hardness to mimic living tissue while the teeth and jaw bones are made from bone-simulating resin.

    “The aim is to give students the psychological experience of how it feels to perform real dentistry, but in a safe learning environment,” said PhD candidate Mr Arm, of the Advanced Textiles Research Group at NTU’s School of Art & Design.

    “These realistic models will allow students to learn the tactile skills of how to examine the gums and teeth, before examining their first patients.

    “Until now current dental models haven’t provided a realistic enough experience for students and the inclusion of a tongue will mimic the challenge which dentists face and better prepare them for their first clinic.”

    A dental model
    A dental model

    Students and staff from the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry have provided feedback on prototype dental training models to inform the final design.

    Dr Michael Milward, Reader and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Periodontology at the University of Birmingham, said: “These models meet an unmet need in dental education and will allow us to better prepare our students for clinical work.

    “The feedback we have received from students and staff has been extremely positive and the final version has already been introduced into undergraduate teaching. While some models are commercially available, no models combine the replica hard and soft tissues in this way to provide a realistic learning experience.

    “These developments provide a major step forward in dental education both for dental students and for the retraining of the dental workforce, ultimately benefitting our patients.

    “We aim to work closely with our colleague at Nottingham Trent University to further enhance the models to allow our students to develop additional clinical skills.”

    • Notes for editors

      Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, press officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2315, or via email, or Helen Breese, media relations manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email

      To interview Dr Mike Milward please contact Emma McKinney, Communications Manager (Health Sciences), University of Birmingham, Email: e.j.mckinney@bham.ac.uk or tel: +44 (0) 121 414 6681, or contact the press office out of hours on +44 (0) 7789 921 165 or pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk

      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University was named University of the Year 2017 at the Times Higher Education Awards and Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. The award recognises NTU for its strong student satisfaction, quality of teaching, overall student experience and engagement with employers.

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been awarded the highest, gold, rating in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework for its outstanding teaching and learning.

      The University is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable Nottingham Trent to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is the sixth biggest recruiter of students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the country and 95.6% of its graduates go on to employment or further education within six months of leaving.

      NTU is home to world-class research, winning The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 - the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage, enable safer production of powdered infant formula and combat food fraud.

      About The University of Birmingham

      The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

    Published on 5 March 2019
    • Category: Press office; School of Art & Design