17 February 2012
Chief Dental Officer to open new teaching laboratory
Photo/filming opportunities: 3.15pm, Friday Feburary 17th
University of Dundee Dental School
A new Integrated Dental Teaching Laboratory in the University of Dundee Dental School will be officially opened by Miss Margie Taylor, Chief Dental Officer for Scotland, on Friday 17th February 2012.
The University has invested £645,000 to refurbish the laboratory, resulting in a teaching resource which will be used to ensure that current and future generations of undergraduate and postgraduate dental students acquire the necessary skills during their training that will equip them to be part of the dental workforce.
Margie Taylor, Chief Dental Officer, said, "I am delighted to have been invited to visit this fantastic new facility, which will enhance dental training for students at the University of Dundee, and ensure they have the necessary skills to become part of the dental workforce.
"Continued investment in dental education is a key priority for the Scottish Government, and this additional investment by the University of Dundee will enhance the level of interactive and hands on learning which dental students receive."
Dr Brendan Scott, Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, said, "The refurbished Integrated Dental Teaching Laboratory, incorporating state of the art audio-visual facilities, will enable staff to create and develop innovative teaching programmes for our undergraduate and postgraduate students."
In the past laboratories of this type have been used primarily to teach students some of the skills that are used to make dentures for people who have lost some or all of their natural teeth.
These skills will continue to be taught but the new facilities will allow a more diverse range of activities to take place, reflecting the need to train dentists in an evidence-based approach for the provision of dental care.
This meets the need to comply with new learning outcomes for dental training produced by the General Dental Council. The new teaching laboratory incorporates state of the art audio-visual facilities which allow a much greater focus on interactive teaching to be achieved than has been possible in the past.
Postgraduate students undertaking taught Masters degrees will also be using the facilities for focused programmes of study, as well as dentists and dental care professionals undertaking short courses for their continuing professional development.
Professor Mark Hector, Dean of Dentistry, said, "The refurbishment of these labs was made possible with the generous support of the University and has enhanced considerably the environment and facilities for the delivery of theoretical and practical classes for our undergraduate and postgraduate dental students."
Dundee is one of three dental schools in Scotland. It is at the forefront of research, teaching and clinical dental practice and benefits from being an integral part of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing.
The School of Dentistry at Dundee performs consistently well in league tables for both research and teaching.
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Roddy Isles
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University of Dundee
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E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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