Introducing SCULPT – the new home learning composite resin masterclass for all levels
Dr. Shiraz Khan, along with his dental student colleague Curran Patel, has formulated a revolutionary training system and pathway for dentists, dental students and therapists to practice their manual composite skills at home.
What has been created?
SCULPT – Practice Makes Permanent
Using 3-D scanning and printing technology, accurate replicate models of teeth have been created with pre-made cavities in the replica teeth. This is sent to registered delegates along with a training pack for a live hands-on training session once monthly. For less than a coffee a day, delegates can tune in for a live session with Shiraz, our resident aesthetic dental surgeon at LCIAD, for mastering posterior composites wherever they may be.
‘This pack has been created to be affordable and accessible to the entire dental profession, including students’, says Shiraz.
Feedback from colleagues has been very encouraging, with comments from the dental profession such as: “exciting innovation”, “a dedication to education in dentistry” and “an intelligent idea”.
The inception of this idea was bought about by the change in circumstances resulting from the COVID pandemic preventing face to face teaching. As many will know, Shiraz is an internationally recognized and respected lecturer and has a keen interest in aesthetic restorative dentistry. A common lecturing topic/subject is the use of composite resin to restore teeth to their ideal form and anatomy. Using the SCULPT platform, Shiraz will now be able to extend training to all parts of the dental profession worldwide, with current delegates being based in the UK, several European countries and Canada.
The kit includes a model of each quadrant, a light curing handpiece, 3 hand instruments and a composite syringe. This really allows for everything to be contained within a single box, with updates in materials, instruments and composite resin shades being sent to delegates bi-monthly to quarterly. The delegates will then tune in live for a session using videoconferencing, where Shiraz will have an optimised, dedicated AV setup for hands-on teaching. This has been beta-tested on several courses already and has been received incredibly well.
We are most proud of the fact that this is really a revolution that has not been piloted or undertaken before. Shiraz and Curran have really broken the mould with this thrilling new approach and are market leaders in providing hands-on dental education in the comfort of your own home.
We are excited to be part of such a project and look forward to the progress of this fantastic initiative.