Abstract:

Introduction:
New technologies for college education and knowledge are required for the new educative systems. Informatics tools that are applied to biomedical teaching contribute to advance in the learning skills of the student. In the Dentistry area we have this tools very poorly developed, and for this reason we created a model of the craniofacial bones that we believe is going to stimulate the students in learning this area. It is a 3D model, based on a real 3 years old infant head that help us to teach the anatomic structures of a pediatric patient.

Objectives:
The main objective of this project is the creation of an informatics based tool to help students in the learning area of Dentistry Anatomy. This tool is a 3D model of the craniofacial structures.
Secondary Objectives
1. - To make the three-dimensional representation of each germ of the permanent tooth.
2. - To execute the three-dimensional image of each of all the present temporary teeth in the analysed infantile human head.

Material and method:
We used the Amira 5.3.0 program to create a model based on tomographic cuts of a human skeleton. We labeled the most interesting anatomic structures so the students could identify them.

Results:
The model was created based in more than 500 tomographic cuts. This model was segmented in three different angles of vision, so the students could identify all the important structures in the maxillary and mandible bones. It will be a topic of Pediatric Dentistry subject in Dentistry Degree in the UCM.

Discussion:
We did not find any reference to the creation of a virtual model on infantile specimen, like the one developed in our project. There is the Visible human Project is creating an anatomical data base, but there is no data collected for Pediatric teaching tools

Conclusions:
1. With an informatics model tool, the student is able to learn the anatomic structures and as the same time value his knowledge instantaneously.
2. In future studies we aim to create the possibility of granting improvements in the technological advances for the clinical application to education in Dentistry.