Dental Technology Day showcases student research

Friday 9 September 2016 3:19pm

The Faculty of Dentistry's Discipline of Dental Technology held their fourth annual Dental Technology Day at the University of Otago College of Education Auditorium on 9 September, showcasing research and clinical case reports from Dental Technology staff and students to industry professionals.

For many years the Discipline of Dental Technology has set a day aside in second semester to present the results of research carried out by third year Bachelor of Dental Technology (BDentTech) and Bachelor of Dental Technology with Honours (BDentTech(Hons) students. Beginning in 2013, it was decided to invite members of the dental community, in particularly the commercial dental technology sector. The response of the sector was very positive, with 25 qualified dental technicians attending the 2013 meeting from as far afield as Whangarei and Auckland. After numerous requests from industry delegates to make this an annual event, it was decided to continue to invite the wider dental sector and formalise the day as part of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events calendar. Over the years the event has expanded to include research and clinical case reports by Postgraduate Diploma in Dental Technology, Master of Dental Technology and PhD students, Dental Technology teaching staff, and academic and research staff from the wider Faculty and SJWRI.

This year Dental Technology Day took place on Friday 9 September at the University of Otago College of Education Auditorium. External attendance increased to 78 registered dental professionals including dentists and oral hygienists.   Feedback from attendees indicated that Dental Technology Day 2016 was a very successful event, with the high quality of Dental Technology research commented on by many delegates.  The opportunity to showcase our research to industry is extremely valuable, and also helps students make links with potential employers.

Programme from Dental Technology Day 2016 (PDF, 46 kb)

Every year the best undergraduate research presenter is nominated to present their research at the annual New Zealand Institute of Dental Technologists (NZIDT) conference.  This year Chloe Leong will present her groups' research, 'Bond strength of relined soft-liner to poly(methyl methacrylate) denture base material', at the NZIDT conference in Wellington on 14 October.