By Jennifer Amster and John Smith
The design of dental schools plays an important role in shaping dental education. As Stantec helps plan and design these educational environments, integrating advanced technologies, creating flexible and collaborative spaces, and planning for operational efficiency are important aspects of the process. These elements can help improve students' and faculty's learning and teaching experiences and help dental schools remain at the forefront of academic distinction.
Stantec is advancing the dialogue on the future of dental education design, partnering with its client institutions to explore design practices and strategies intended to support students and patients. Stantec’s approach to dental education facilities builds on evidence-based design techniques pioneered in the healthcare built environment, incorporating Stantec’s research and that of others. This approach informs classrooms and collaboration spaces designed to support instructors in providing students with the skills needed to work in the healthcare workforce.
Integration of advanced technologies in dental school design
Advanced technologies are revolutionizing dental education, and dental schools must incorporate these innovations into their design. The customized clinical skills lab, complete with patient simulators and electronic patient records, intends to provide students with hands-on experience in a controlled, realistic environment. These spaces can help improve learning efficiency by giving students space to practice procedures and refine their skills.
" }Patient simulation lab at East Carolina University.
Facilitating the transition to practice
In addition to basic skills acquisition with patient simulators, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry’s (UT Health) design includes task training simulation immediately adjacent to its patient care spaces. The teaching clinic includes spaces the students may encounter in practice, such as a digital radiography center, diagnostic clinic, main waiting area, a flexible clinic for multi-specialty areas, a faculty practice clinic, and a central dispensary. These spaces are designed with flexibility, allowing for future technological advancements and the addition of new equipment as needed. This approach supports the school’s ability to adapt facilities over time and continue meeting educational needs.
" }Student Clinic at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry.
Many new dental education programs organize classes into small practice groups, where the cohorts stay together as a unit in the teaching clinic and study together for small-group problem-based learning. This is the model driving the planning for the new program supporting Howard University’s future dental education space, currently in planning with Stantec.
At East Carolina University’s teaching clinic, incorporating distance technology into the curriculum offers students additional methods to observe complex dental procedures and collaborate with peers at remote clinical sites. The school also features technologies to help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing students for the technological demands of modern dental practice. As these tools continue to evolve, dental school design must adapt to accommodate these new technologies and support student learning.
Flexible and collaborative learning spaces
Complementing the experiential learning spaces, dental schools are also rethinking their approach to formal instruction, requiring design strategies that promote flexibility and collaboration. Traditional lecture halls are evolving into multi-purpose spaces that support various teaching methods and learning styles. These spaces are designed to be reconfigurable, allowing for adaptation to different uses, from small group discussions to large lectures or hands-on workshops. Health education institutions find that interprofessional education is more easily delivered in these adaptable large-scale spaces that can support synchronous and asynchronous events.
In addition to classrooms at NYU College of Nursing, Dentistry, and Bioengineering, flexible, informal learning spaces have been integrated throughout the building, providing areas where students can collaborate across health disciplines on projects, share ideas, and learn from one another. These open-plan areas with movable furniture and integrated technology support a smooth transition between different learning modes and foster a collaborative environment. Such spaces can allow both students and faculty to engage in more interactive teaching methods.
" }Various health disciplines can learn together in teams at Waitzer Hall in Eastern Virginia Medical Center.
This interdisciplinary approach helps students develop an understanding of patient care and encourages future dentists to collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals. Dental schools can prepare students for the collaborative nature of modern healthcare environments by designing spaces that facilitate these interactions.
Operational efficiency
Operational efficiency in dental school design improves educational and clinical functions. Dental schools must balance patient and student needs while facilitating patient care and student learning. One effective strategy is separating on-stage and off-stage spaces, as seen at UT Health School of Dentistry. This approach is intended to balance patient spaces, efficient clinical support, and a vibrant, interactive, and sometimes noisy student environment.
Another aspect of operational efficiency is the strategic placement of educational and clinical spaces to streamline workflow and reduce unnecessary movement. UT Health's classrooms, labs, and clinics are located near each other, reducing transit time and allowing students to spend more time on learning and clinical activities. This layout can support workflow and student access to learning and clinical spaces.
" }Student collaboration space at NYU College of Dentistry.
Implications for future dental education spaces
Faculty and student post-occupancy surveys were conducted at East Carolina University and the UT Health facilities to look for common themes that could inform future facility design. The study revealed the following key takeaways:
- Quality of lighting and access to natural light are strong drivers for satisfaction among both faculty and students.
- Adequate size and consistency in dental training operatories are important for student satisfaction.
- Operational models must balance efficiency with opportunities for students to socialize with peers and professors.
Advanced technologies, flexibility, collaboration, and operational efficiency are key considerations in designing dental schools of the future. These elements can support the educational experience for students and faculty and align with evolving approaches to experiential learning. Projects such as those at UT Health School of Dentistry illustrate how thoughtful design can create flexible spaces that meet the evolving needs of dental education. The design of dental schools is not just about meeting current standards but about considering future needs. Through design-led planning, Stantec creates dental schools that support dental education and help students develop the skills needed to provide patient care in an evolving healthcare landscape.
A version of this blog was originally published by Page, now Stantec.
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