E-Learning 3.0 - adding the 3rd dimension to Dentistry

CyberDenT is an exciting community site for dental e-learning concepts and projects. You will find many examples of e-learning applied to dentistry, such as interactive models of teeth and periodontic procedures.

The example below is a demonstration of a procedure used for inserting a dental implant, and is just one of many resources presented on the site.

[Image: elearning 3.0 - adding the 3rd dimension : vlearning, viewed: 28/06/07 <http://www.cyberdent.ca/index.php?option=com_wrapper&itemid=42>]

The site includes innovate dental training concepts across a wide range of dental disciplines. Particularly interesting is the use of what CyberDent calls bleeding edge 3D PDF which includes innovative uses of animation and tests to enhance the elearning experience. Acrobat 8 will be required to produce projects such as these. Given the current focus on e-learning in the University this is a site that the Faculty should be monitoring as it investigates e-learning opportunities.

Image databases

The Library provides access to a number of image databases, which contain images across a wide variety of subject areas which have the potential to be used in lecture presentations, student assignments and the like.

The new list of Image Databases contains two databases of interest to dentistry.

Firstly, images.MD. Images.Md contains over 50,000 medical images, including some covering dentistry. You have the option of either searching the databases directly, or browsing by collection - select upper respiratory tract and head and neck for dental images. By registering on the site you have the options of settting up your own image library on the site as well as creating PowerPoint presentations.

The other database is Anatomy.TV. Anatomy.tv provides access to interactive 3-D models of human anatomy. It should prove useful as a both a teaching and a study tool. In addition to the 3D images, the product also contains slides, MRI, movies, as well as MCQ's and a quiz.

Full functionality requires Windows Media player, QuickTime player or RealPlayer, and pop-ups to be enabled in your browser.

Both databases will require either your Unikey login or Library borrower number login for off-campus access. Access is restricted to University of Sydney staff and students.

Evidentista - Pan American Centers for Evidence-based Dentistry

Another evidence-based dentistry site, Evidentista contains guidelines on how to practice evidence-based dentistry, as well as clinical Q&A's across a wide range of dental disciplines, from endodontics and oral surgery/oral medicine to orthodontics and more. Article abstracts which answer the clinical questions are drawn from Evidence-based Dentistry, and the articles themselves are downloadable via the University of Sydney Library Catalogue.

Evidentista is produced by the Pan American Centers for Evidence-based Dentistry, in collaboration with institutions such as the Centre for Evidence-Based Dentistry, Oxford, The Forsyth Institute, Boston, Evidence-based Dentistry Journal, and The Cochrane Library, to name a few.

It is a very good site, but would be further enhanced by having a search facility built in to ease access to the information contained in the site. It would also be good to know a bit more about the staff, such as their backgrounds, and perhaps more importantly their qualifications in evidence-based dentistry. Try it out, and let me know what you think.

New Database Trials

The Library has the following resource currently on trial:

Dynamed - Trial ends on the 5th of August, 2007.

DynaMed is a clinical reference tool created by physicians for physicians and other health care professionals for use primarily at the 'point-of-care'. It includes clinically-organized summaries for nearly 2,000 topics, and it does include dental content. For example, Select Browse by Category then Oral Pathology. Click on Impacted Tooth and you can view information on the causes and risk factors, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, plus more. The product is evidence-based, and all topics include references, reviews, and some include links to clinical guidelines.

The Dynamed trial can be accessed via the Database Trials page.

Please fill out the Database Evaluation form. when you have finished. This will greatly assist us if we go on to make a submission to the Library Electronic Resource Group for a subscription to the product.

EviDents search engine for evidence-based Dentistry

EviDents is a medical search engine for evidence-based dentistry developed by the Center for Evidence-based Dentistry at the Forsyth Institute. It searches PubMed using its own search interface, allowing the MeSH browser to be used in order to find the most appropriate MeSH term for the search.

Particularly nice is the way it allows you to frame your question, using PICO, narrowing your search down by clinical issue (treatment/diagnosis/prognosis/etiology) and search type (Broad/Focused). It is also possible to limit it to systematic reviews only, public health, and age limits (pedodontics/none).

Search strategies are based upon work done at the Forsyth Institute.

I have done some test searches and results are promising, especially when compared against PubMed's own Clinical Queries. Give it a go and let me know!

Dentistry Library New books Received in May '07

24 items were added to the Dentistry Library collection in May. Go to the New Titles List for May to find out more.

New Publications by University of Sydney Faculty of Dentistry Staff and Students

The following papers have been added to PubMed in the last 30 days.

Arora, M, Kennedy, BJ, Ryan, CG, Boadle, RA, Walker, DM, Harland, CL, Lai, B, Cai, Z, Vogt, S, Zoellner, H & Chan, SW 2007, 'The application of synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission in the measurement of zinc and lead in Wistar rat ameloblasts', Archives of Oral Biol Biology [Epub ahead of print].

Curtis, N & Zoellner, H 2007, 'Resection of an Orbital Rim Intraosseous Cavernous Hemangioma and Reconstruction by Chin Graft and Resorbable Fixation Plate', Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 232-4.