AIDM gives undergraduate dental students hands-on exposure to implant dentistry

KARACHI: The Department of Prosthodontics at Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine (AIDM) has provided undergraduate dental students with hands-on exposure to implant dentistry through a dedicated workshop combining foundational teaching, faculty demonstrations and practical training on models.

The Dental Implant Hands-On Workshop was designed to familiarise undergraduate students with the principles and workflow of implant treatment and give them practical exposure to implant systems, surgical protocols and prosthetic components.

Sponsored by Neo Biotech Pakistan, with Pak International serving as its official distributor in Pakistan, the programme brought implant-related learning into an undergraduate setting through a combination of lectures, case-based discussion and simulation-based activities.

From implant fundamentals to practical application

The workshop opened with an academic session covering the basic principles of dental implant treatment. Students were introduced to indications and contraindications, treatment planning, surgical and prosthetic components and relevant clinical cases.

The teaching was followed by an interactive practical session centred on implant kits and the basic principles of implant placement.

Faculty demonstrated surgical protocols and guided students through hands-on activities using models. Students also handled prosthetic components, giving them an opportunity to relate the terminology and concepts discussed during the lecture to the physical components used in implant treatment.

The format was intended to connect classroom learning with simulated clinical application rather than limiting the programme to a conventional lecture.

Why implant education is relevant at undergraduate level

The introduction of implant dentistry at undergraduate level is consistent with recommendations in international dental-education literature.

A European consensus on university education in implant dentistry recommended that implant dentistry form part of undergraduate curricula, while distinguishing foundational undergraduate knowledge from the higher level of training required for independent surgical implant placement. The consensus identified areas including the evidence base for implant treatment, indications and contraindications and management of complications as important elements of undergraduate education.

A review of undergraduate implant curricula similarly found that implant dentistry had become increasingly incorporated into dental education and concluded that students should be exposed to areas such as treatment planning, observation of implant placement and restoration, and implant-supported or implant-retained restorations.

The extent of practical training varies between institutions, however. Research has documented differences in the amount of preclinical and clinical implant education provided to undergraduate students, while subsequent European research has pointed to continued variation in how implant education is integrated into dental programmes.

Hands-on learning adds a practical dimension

The educational value of practical exposure has also been examined in studies of undergraduate implant training.

A 2024 study published in the European Journal of Dental Education found that a flipped-classroom approach was more effective than a conventional didactic lecture for acquisition of practical implant dentistry skills in the study setting.

Another study of undergraduate students found that most participants wanted further education in implant dentistry, particularly practical training, despite generally positive views of their theoretical instruction.

These findings support an educational approach in which undergraduate students first develop an understanding of implant treatment and then encounter its practical aspects through appropriately supervised preclinical or simulated activities. Such exposure does not, by itself, establish independent clinical competence in implant surgery.

Multidisciplinary faculty guide implant training

The AIDM workshop brought together faculty and postgraduate residents from prosthodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of implant treatment.

The sessions were facilitated by Prof. Dr. Naseer Ahmed, Head of the Department of Prosthodontics; Dr. Saeedullah Shah, Assistant Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Dr. Shujah Adil, Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics; Dr. Tooba Shabir, FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics; Dr. Aimen Yaseen, FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics; and Dr. Alkesh Kammal, FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics.

The facilitators guided students through the lecture and practical components, explaining the principles underlying implant treatment and demonstrating the use of relevant instruments and components.

The involvement of both prosthodontic and oral and maxillofacial surgery faculty also allowed students to encounter different aspects of implant care within the same educational programme, from treatment planning and restorative considerations to surgical principles.

Beyond implant placement

The workshop's scope extended beyond the technical act of placing an implant.

Students were introduced to the wider treatment process, including patient and case assessment, treatment planning, implant systems, surgical protocols and prosthetic considerations. This broader perspective is important because implant dentistry involves coordinated diagnostic, surgical and restorative decisions rather than an isolated surgical procedure.

International undergraduate education guidance has similarly emphasised that students should understand how implant treatment fits within an overall treatment plan, including patient assessment, treatment alternatives, biological considerations and risk assessment.

For undergraduate education, the objective is therefore not necessarily to make students independently perform implant surgery, but to establish the knowledge and foundational understanding needed to recognise appropriate cases, understand treatment planning and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary dental care.

Industry-supported practical exposure

Neo Biotech Pakistan sponsored the workshop, providing support for the practical component and exposure to implant systems, surgical protocols and prosthetic components. Pak International served as the official distributor in Pakistan.

Industry involvement is already documented in the literature on dental implant education, where dental schools have used support from implant companies for components and educational resources. At the same time, implant education research has highlighted the importance of structured curricula and appropriately trained academic faculty in delivering undergraduate training.

At AIDM, the practical activities were conducted within a faculty-led educational setting, with students receiving instruction and guidance from the department's academic and clinical team.

Building familiarity before advanced training

For undergraduate students, early exposure to implant dentistry can establish familiarity with a treatment area that has become an important part of contemporary restorative and prosthodontic practice.

The AIDM workshop provided that exposure through a progression from theory to demonstration and simulated hands-on practice, allowing students to encounter implant terminology, treatment-planning concepts, surgical protocols and prosthetic components within a structured learning environment.

The programme concluded with e-certificates for participating students.

By combining classroom instruction with model-based practical activities and multidisciplinary faculty guidance, the workshop gave undergraduate students an opportunity to explore implant dentistry at an early stage of their professional education while providing a foundation for more advanced implant-related learning and training later in their dental careers.