The Dental School of the Future

Meeting tomorrow’s healthcare needs, today

Meeting the challenges of today’s healthcare landscape is a matter of educating the dental leaders of tomorrow who proactively anticipate future ones.

The educational program at A.T. Still University’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH) is dedicated to producing leaders in dentistry dedicated to increasing access to oral healthcare for the most vulnerable populations by addressing the critical shortage of dentists in Missouri and throughout the US. Only the third dental school in Missouri, its goal is to graduate dentists who have an in-depth understanding of and a desire to become caring, community minded healthcare providers serving populations in need.

Offering a doctor of dental medicine, MOSDOH’s dental program features an innovative curriculum, simulation technology, state-of-the-art facilities, service learning experiences, and leadership training. MOSDOH’s curriculum is integrative by interweaving core disciplines into the humans systems, preclinical, and dental sciences with a strong emphasis on the application of clinical medicine and clinical dentistry. Students spend their first and second year studying basic sciences and basic principles of patient care in the classroom and complete dental simulation exercises in the Kirksville campus simulation clinic. During the third and fourth years, students transition to the clinical environment by providing patient care at the St. Louis Dental Education and Oral Health Clinic (St. Louis Dental Center).

To provide the core dental clinical curriculum, ATSU-MOSDOH has partnered with Affinia Healthcare, formerly Grace Hill Health Centers, Inc., in St. Louis. The innovative partnership with Missouri’s largest community health center allows MOSDOH to focus on the educational elements of comprehensive patient care, while Affinia Healthcare manages the clinical operation. At the St. Louis clinic, third-year students work under the direct supervision of licensed MOSDOH dental faculty. During the fourth year, students spend 16 weeks in the St. Louis clinic, and the other half of the year in community health centers and other safety net clinics in St. Louis and throughout the Midwest, all under the supervision of MOSDOH adjunct faculty. Additionally, students who have not obtained either a certificate or master’s degree in public health with a dental emphasis will earn a certificate in public health while enrolled at MOSDOH.

Simulation Clinic

The dental simulation clinic at the IPE building, located on the first floor, serves as an advanced learning facility for ATSU-MOSDOH students. Here, they gain proficiency in dental sciences using state-of-the-art technology before transitioning to patient-care settings in St. Louis. The clinic is equipped with various cutting-edge technologies, including CAD-CAM (CEREC) scanning and milling units, a 3D Asiga printer, a 3D E4 lab scanner, a sensor-equipped dental anesthesia training manikin, a dental radiology manikin, and other educational equipment and models.

Spanning over 7,000 square feet, the simulation clinic boasts 68 student workstations. Each workstation is outfitted with a KaVo Mannekin Simulator, LED dental light, dental instruments, and a flat screen display monitor. To facilitate students’ practice, each station is equipped with their own Operative dentistry cassette, Composite restoration instrument cassette, Rubber dam cassette, alginate impression, and stone model armamentarium, enabling them to perform various dental procedures during their simulation sessions.

At the front of the clinic, there’s an instructor’s station that allows faculty members to demonstrate techniques, which can be broadcasted directly to each individual student station. This broadcasting setup involves two computers, a document camera capable of projecting highly magnified images, and a ceiling-mounted camera used for demonstrating faculty-on-manikin procedures. This setup ensures that students can clearly observe faculty/patient positions during the procedures.

Additionally, the simulation clinic has five faculty stations, each equipped with a microscope and a 7-inch screen display with powerful magnification capabilities of up to 1200X. This equipment is utilized to provide feedback and critique to students on their daily projects and work.

Besides student and faculty workstations, the clinic features six dental operatories equipped with digital x-ray units and touch screen computers. The clinic also houses a sterilization center, a dispensary, and a wet lab with eight sinks and stainless steel workspaces to support various dental activities and preparation.

Overall, the dental simulation clinic at the IPE building provides an innovative and comprehensive learning environment for ATSU-MOSDOH students, ensuring they are well-prepared and skilled before they proceed to real patient care in St. Louis.