Video Games and Dentistry
Did you know that virtual reality technology is now being used to train dentists and doctors? Those video games you had as a kid have advanced to the point that they are now being used for career training. In fact, some dentists even have video game stations set up in their lobby to help nervous and fearful youngsters feel more at ease when visiting with the dentist.
The little-known truth is video games have morphed from a childish muse into a full-fledged training tool that improves dentists’ hand-eye coordination and also ease patient anxiety.
The Case for Dentists Playing Video Games
If you are not a gamer or don’t have a gamer in your life, closely observe the next person you watch play video games, be it at a game demo set up in a store, while watching a YouTube video or elsewhere. Look closely and you will find gamers’ hands and eyes move quite rapidly. Today’s video games have become so challenging that they really do improve players’ hand-eye coordination.
This is precisely why more dentists are considering the merits of playing video games. The research performed on this subject matter focuses on how video games affect surgical residents’ psychomotor skills.
Dentists are relevant to such residents as dentists also perform surgical procedures in the mouth. If you were to poll medical professionals including dentists who perform surgery, those who play video games would testify gaming really does improve visual attention capacity, contrast sensitivity and also spatial distribution abilities. Some will even argue playing video games enhances critical thinking skills and puzzle solving abilities.
This is precisely why more dentists are considering the merits of playing video games. The research performed on this subject matter focuses on how video games affect surgical residents’ psychomotor skills. Dentists are relevant to such residents as dentists also perform surgical procedures in the mouth.
If you were to poll medical professionals including dentists who perform surgery, those who play video games would testify gaming really does improve visual attention capacity, contrast sensitivity and also spatial distribution abilities. Some will even argue playing video games enhances critical thinking skills and puzzle solving abilities.
Games Made Specifically for Dentists
Gaming tech has advanced to the point that virtual computer games are now being used by dentists who are in training. Those looking for a means of improving their skills in matters such as the placement of dental implants find games specifically made for dentists quite helpful.
These games are available in virtual reality and can replicate real world dental procedures and treatments through a faux world via a headset. This means the dentists of tomorrow will have practiced surgeries on virtual patients in an artificial reality prior to performing those surgeries on actual people.
The VR simulator was initially rolled out to about 15,000 aspiring dentists across more than two dozen universities throughout the world. The program was made in unison with BreakAway, a game developer in Maryland, and the Medical College of Georgia.
Dentists who have tried the virtual reality technology rave about its realness and additional merits. In fact, this virtual simulation is advanced to the point that each game begins with a question and answer session in which the dentist asks the patient in the chair several questions to determine if a dental implant is a suitable treatment modality.
The VR simulator was initially rolled out to about 15,000 aspiring dentists across more than two dozen universities throughout the world. The program was made in unison with BreakAway, a game developer in Maryland, and the Medical College of Georgia.
Dentists who have tried the virtual reality technology rave about its realness and additional merits. In fact, this virtual simulation is advanced to the point that each game begins with a question and answer session in which the dentist asks the patient in the chair several questions to determine if a dental implant is a suitable treatment modality.
The VR simulator was initially rolled out to about 15,000 aspiring dentists across more than two dozen universities throughout the world. The program was made in unison with BreakAway, a game developer in Maryland, and the Medical College of Georgia. Dentists who have tried the virtual reality technology rave about its realness and additional merits.
In fact, this virtual simulation is advanced to the point that each game begins with a question and answer session in which the dentist asks the patient in the chair several questions to determine if a dental implant is a suitable treatment modality.
A Hands-On Experience
Perhaps the best reason for dentists to play video games is the fact that such software requires the player to use his or her hands in a highly precise manner.
The best players are detail-oriented, have quick fingers and are hyper-aware of the amount of pressure they apply to each individual controller button. The same is true of dentists who have to carefully work on sensitive teeth and gums to prevent patient pain, bleeding and potentially ineffective outcomes.
The best players are detail-oriented, have quick fingers and are hyper-aware of the amount of pressure they apply to each individual controller button. The same is true of dentists who have to carefully work on sensitive teeth and gums to prevent patient pain, bleeding and potentially ineffective outcomes.
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