Phantom head ‘could cut dentist wait’

A new “phantom head” facility could allow student dentists to begin practising on real patients much sooner, it has been reported.

Britain’s newest dental training establishment, the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth offers undergraduates realistic mannequins to practise their dental technique on, the BBC stated.

This could mean students could begin treating NHS patients during their first year of training, which would allow a further 500 people in the south-west to receive dental care a day, the broadcaster noted.

Professor Liz Kay, dean of the school, said students studying at the establishment are ahead of their peers in other seats of learning.

She told the BBC they begin working on real people just six months into their courses.

“We felt we had to have very close simulation to the real situation so that they were very well practised before they hit the public,” the professor explained.

There are 62 places available for British or European students and two for international students in 2009.