Haptics in periodontics

Abstract

Throughout history, education has evolved, and new teaching/learning methods have been developed. These methods have helped us come a long way in understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the oral cavity. However, there is still no one good way to render a student/clinician the tactile sense for detecting calculus/caries or placing the incisions or detecting the smoothness of a restoration or any treatment procedures before entering the clinics. In the education field, to improve the tactile sensation, the sense of touch and force-feedback can offer great improvements to the existing learning methods, thus enhancing the quality of education procedures. The concept of Haptics, which is extensively in use and indispensable in other fields like aviation, telecommunication etc., is now making its way into dentistry. Against this background, the following write-up intends to provide a glimpse of the coming wave of Haptics - A virtual reality system in dental education and discusses the strengths and weak points of this system.