Clear understanding of the spatial orientation of human organs and internal body systems is necessary for dental and medical education. Traditional 3D models used to teach anatomy cannot represent the dynamic physiological processes and lack structural detail in oral regions needed for dental education. We developed an interactive computer application called ‘Jawnatomy’ to teach oral anatomy, pathology, and microbiology in an integrated manner to improve students’ learning experiences. Jawnatomy has two modules: pathology and microbiology. In the pathology module, users can visualize the tooth cross-section and switch between different stages of tooth decay to visualize the pathology of dental caries and periodontal disease. In the microbiology module of Jawnatomy, learners can interact with various teeth and oral structures to identify the microbial population of that area. The design of the computer application was guided by Keller’s attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) model. Jawnatomy is aimed to reduce the cognitive load of learning anatomy by providing an alternative and interactive learning platform. Blender was used to create the graphics; Unity 3D was used to incorporate interactivity in the program. With Jawnatomy, students will be able to interact with the model, get clear understandings of the spatial orientation of anatomical structures in the mouth, rotate the model to view from all possible angles, compare the healthy and diseased conditions, and study the oral microbiota-all from a single application. We believe this tool will be a valuable addition to dental education.

Authors: Nazlee Sharmin, Ava K. Chow

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2022

• Date of Conference: 21-23 June, 2022
• DOI: 10.20533/CICE.2022.0031
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-49-5
• Conference Location: Virtual (Mississauga, Canada)