Stony Brook University School of Dentistry opened the Center for Implants and Digital Technology (CIDT), which will serve as a state-of-the-art space for digital dentistry-focused education, patient care and research, according to the school.
“The center doesn’t just enhance patient care. It also invites invaluable training opportunities for the next generation of dental leaders,” said Stony Brook University Interim President Michael Bernstein, PhD, MPhil, MA, adding that the training will include high-tech, collaborative research.
In 2017, the American College of Prosthodontists selected the school as one of five academic institutions nationwide to pilot a digital dentistry curriculum. Now that the curriculum is fully implemented, students will have full access to the center’s CAD/CAM technology as well as hands-on training in the latest care options, the school said.
As Long Island’s largest oral health care provider, the School of Dental Medicine serves 15,000 patients in the community. These patients will now benefit from the efficiency of CAD/CAM treatment instead of relying on impression trays and other analog techniques.
Crowns and bridges can now be completed on site in less than 24 hours thanks to the use of non-invasive intraoral scanners. Dentists receive data from these scanners and then design and 3D print or mill dental restorations for delivery to the patient.
“I believe that through digital dentistry, I can make a difference in the treatment of patients with craniofacial abnormalities,” said student Shradha Duggal, who is studying the use of 3D prosthetic devices to correct lip and palate defects more effectively and comfortably. .
Other research projects at the school include generating data to be used to improve the design and performance of dental implants and reviewing data acquisition and processing. Each project is expected to directly impact patient care.
“This new center will enable transformative research by clinicians and students and improve patient care through the use of digital scanning and 3D printing,” said Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine.
The CIDT is one of several recent infrastructure developments completed or recently started at the School of Dentistry, according to the school, including expanding and updating an endodontic suite and modernizing clinical bays.
“The School of Dentistry is continually improving its education, patient care and research spaces to better support its mission,” said Dean Mary R. Truhlar, DDS. “The addition of the Implant and Digital Technology Center is an investment in our present and future.”
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