Dentistry in Second Life

What do you think?

A university is considering using Second Life for vitual training in dentistry. ............Interesting.

Their not getting their hands on any of my teeth, mind you. I've had 100% perfect teeth ever since I came to SL

http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/

sorry about the double link - I can't get it to paste properly, need some better link glue.

It's a little disappointing, in that it only seeks to train social aspects of interacting with patients, not the physical processes of dentistry (for which they already have some sort of simulation). I keep thinking that scripted objects could be valuable in training "mechanical" operations on them, but don't really see good in-world examples. Dentistry might not be the ideal candidate, though, because so much of it would seem to rely on tactile and kinesthetic sensory feedback to the student. (Dunno if their existing simulation does that or not.)

My last experience of RL dentistry was having all 4 wisdom teeth pulled out in the chair under a sedative. It was cheaper that way than going under general anaesthetic. I woke up about half way through to find one dentist holding me down and the other with a knee on my chest and a massive pair of pliers rammed down my throat... luckily before I could say "gabbleflabbebbshsshs" they gave me some more sedative...

Completely off topic but this is the forum after all

I keep thinking of the scene with Dustin Hoffman & Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man"...... "Is it safe?"


Will they be handing out clove oil with each visit?

that's we need SL full of young people always looking down in the mouth!

ok.. I was just about to make an appointment with my dentist....

Next week...

maybe

if i feel like it

imogen

Next please! EEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGHH!

I was wondering why my new silver crown had the initials "LL" on it! =/

Yes it's a new "First Bling" release.



*scratches her head* Then why not just do it with Real People?

Chairside manner is probably the most appropriate thing. I mean, what physics do they need to see here about drilling/pulling teeth? However, the immersive aspect of building a chair, having someone else sit in it and roleplay needing a root canal and the student responding would probably be very helpful.

I think real people have an ingrained sense of fear about dentists - the theory must be that virtual people do not share these characteristics

why do i see Steve martin dancing and singing "maxwells silver hammer" in my mind

I am headed out the door in about 10-15 minutes for a dental appt. I think I would rather head inworld to a virtual appt.

You may be right; I never went to dental school. (Don't tell my patients!)

Uh, no, I mean I'm not a dentist. I just have this idea of dentistry as being kind of like one of the building trades, on a smaller and more expensive scale: that it involves lots of mechanical operations that need to be performed in sequence, with the right materials, and in response to conditions that aren't entirely predictable. So that was the kind of "physical processes" I had in mind (not necessarily physics).

As for roleplaying the social aspect, yeah, I can see it could be useful. But to be a major immersive advance over, say, IRC, some poor animator has to be making that "knee on chest with pliers rampant" pose.

I saw an item for sale recently on SL Exchange that made me grind my teeth in horror. Someone had made a fully scripted gynecological pelvic exam table. It was designed to use in a Gorean sim. Just what your well used slave girl needs. Ick factor, 100% I'd rather have me teeth drilled in RL.

GREAT! Just what we need! Now all they gotta come up with is scripted 'Feminine Hygiene' Products and a scripted Menstrual Cycle attachment, and SL will be complete!

It looks to me like someone was able to successfully turn the virtual world fad into grant money.

So, in learning skills to interact with real people, typing on a screen at digital avatars is of equal instructional value as interacting with real people?

One of the first things I learned in my introductory Communication class is that 90% of interpersonal communication is non-verbal. Digital avatars with canned gestures and animations on a 2D screen do not nearly cover the range of non-verbal communication of real, physical interaction.

Are there no students milling around in the university's Theater Arts program who could sharpen their acting skills by acting out the roles of patients for the dental students to learn how to interact with live patients?

But avatars work for even less than undergrads.

Close. The X3 hoo hoo drips blood. ew.