Together with the University Hospital Regensburg, the University Hospital Erlangen and the University Medicine Pilsen of the Charles University Prague, the Laboratory for Medical Devices of the OTH Regensburg was able to acquire a cross-border project for the optimisation of dental accident care as coordinator. The project, which is co-financed by the European Union as part of the Bavaria-Czech Republic Interreg Programme 2021-2027, is being funded with one million euros over three years.
Modern dentistry relies on both the routine and specialised training of dentists. However, dental traumas occur unplanned and irregularly and often pose a challenge even for established dental practices. However, broken or even completely knocked out teeth can often be preserved if the patient and dentist act correctly and quickly. This cannot be achieved by specialised university centres alone, but is particularly challenging for dental practices in rural areas. The 3DenTECT (3D Dental Traumatology Education Community Transfer) project has set itself the goal of developing a training concept for the further training of dentists in private practice in the treatment of dental accidents in children and adults.
Thanks to the expertise of the Medical Devices Laboratory at OTH Regensburg (Prof. Thomas Schratzenstaller, Jan Zentgraf, M.Sc.), innovative 3D printing processes and materials can be used to develop and produce clinically relevant, simple and, above all, cost-effective training models. The clinical project partners from the University Hospital Regensburg (Prof. Matthias Widbiller), the University Hospital Erlangen (Dr Eva Maier, Prof. Kerstin Galler) and the University Medical Centre in Pilsen (MUDr. et MUDr. Lukáš Hauer) will evaluate the need for further training together with the dental practices in the programme area, implement clinical training scenarios and establish a digital learning offer that is independent of time and location. The project is also supported by the district dental associations of Lower Bavaria, Upper Palatinate and Upper Franconia, the Czech Dental Association and the networks of additive manufacturers also based in the programme area, which are coordinated by the advisory office of the Upper Palatinate district and Klastr MECHATRONIKA.
The preparatory work required for the application was carried out at OTH Regensburg, supported by the Regensburg Center of Health Science and Technology (RCHST) and the Regensburg Center of Biomedical Engineering (RCBE).
The Interreg programme supports innovative Bavarian-Czech projects that promote cross-border exchange and networking between healthcare institutions and citizens, as well as improving quality of life. In addition to digital teaching resources, the project period will also include a variety of workshops and “Dental Trauma Days” for in-person training. Further information, current dates and updates can be found on the official project website: www.3DenTECT.eu.
