A Smarter Way Presentation Tool for Dentists
Smart Lecture Tools give dentists the power to create presentations centered around 3D dental anatomy
Saint Petersburg, Fla. – Using 3D anatomy is no longer out of reach for dentists who are interested in using it to educate their colleagues, patients and students.
Anomalous Medical, LLC., an interactive 3D Anatomy software and digital publishing company, has announced the debut of Smart Lecture, a slideshow presentation editor based around real time 3D dental anatomy.
“The Smart Lectures change everything,” said Andrew Piper, project manager for Anomalous Medical. “Dental professionals can now make their own slideshows with high-quality, interactive 3D dental anatomy to communicate with colleagues, educate patients and teach students about the dental issues they see every day for a low cost.”
Dentists can currently buy the Smart Lecture Dental bundle for $500 to get started simulating distortions in the dental anatomy and recreate the medical conditions their patients have, such as temporomandibular joint disorder, a bad bite or a traumatic injury to the jaw bone. They can then include those simulations in a Smart Lecture(s) to show colleagues and patients.
This bundle includes:
- Dental Simulations
- Premium Features
- Smart Lecture Tools
The goal of Smart Lecture is to save time and money for any dentist who is considering using 3D anatomy in slideshows, videos or animations for training, educational or promotional purposes.
“Whether you are a dental student preparing a presentation for class, a dentist who regularly uses anatomical models to educate patients, or a dentist explaining complex medical ideas to a group of colleagues at a continuing education seminar, Anomalous Medical’s Smart Lecture tools provide the 3D dental art assets and the presentation platform to communicate your message,” Piper said.
Inception of an Idea
The software company emerged from a partnership between a son and his father.
Piper’s father, Dr. Mark Piper, a temporomandibular joint surgeon, needed to show his patients and colleagues how the jaw actually functioned and what happens to a person’s occlusion, or bite, when things go wrong with the anatomy in the joint.
Dr. Piper saw an opportunity in 2008 to partner with his son, a computer software engineer, to build a program with 3D anatomy models of the head and neck and simulations that could easily show the effects trauma and diseases have on the TMJs.
It hasn’t always been an easy task communicating clearly those ideas to colleagues and patients.
With interactive head and neck anatomy and simulations, Dr. Piper knew dentists could understand temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMD, even better.
For more than 20 years, Dr. Piper has traveled the country educating dentists about the concepts of Joint Based Occlusion, i.e., the causes of TMD, and how dentists of all disciplines can learn to recognize the signs and symptoms through physical and diagnostic examination.
Anomalous Medical has helped Dr. Piper and other dentists improve patient communication and patient outcomes.
The program was initially called Piper’s Joint Based Occlusion, based on a series of continuing education seminars given by Dr. Piper. They eventually decided to call the program Anomalous Medical.
“The temporomandibular joint is an area of anatomy dentists often find difficult to understand. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot that can go wrong.” said Dr. Piper. “Anomalous Medical has vastly improved TMD education by helping dentists throughout the country visualize how the jaw functions normally and abnormally when anatomy distortions are applied.
“The Smart Lectures tie everything together into one neat package, making it easier for me to make slideshows to explain the principles of Joint Based Occlusion to my colleagues and patients.”
The Future of Anomalous Medical
Because the software company evolved from serving the dental industry, it only has anatomy for the head and neck region currently; however, plans are underway to expand the entire body, Andrew Piper said.
The company plans to bundle its Smart Lectures with simulations for different parts of the body to cater to different disciplines in the medical profession.
For example, dentists can currently buy the Smart Lecture Dental bundle for $500 to get started simulating distortions in the dental anatomy and recreate the medical conditions their patients have, such as temporomandibular joint disorder, a bad bite or a traumatic injury to the jaw bone. They can then include those simulations in a Smart Lecture(s) to show colleagues and patients.
As more anatomy is made available, future simulations would be developed for cardiologists, orthopedists, pulmonologists, etc. But knowing what simulations are needed depends on feedback from the medical community.
“Forging partnerships with medical experts will be an important factor in developing future simulations for Anomalous Medical,” Piper said. “The partnerships will benefit us as well as the medical experts who are trying to find new ways to explain their ideas.”
The High Costs of 3D
Anomalous Medical has sought to differentiate itself from other 3D anatomy companies by offering a turnkey 3D art solution. They run their high-quality 3D anatomy models in a rendering engine, while other companies are going with web-based browsers and video formats. The rendering engine is similar to those that video game companies use to make games for console (Xbox, Playstation and Wii) and PC gamers.
“We provide a fluid game-like experience for our customers,” Piper said. “Popular browser-based 3D anatomy programs are convenient but the technology has not yet arrived to offer the level of interactivity or creativity we provide.”
Online 3D anatomy programs are often promotional vehicles for 3D animation videos and production studios. A custom eight to 10 minute 3D animated video can cost more than $10,000 to have produced.
While a video can be an educational resource for healthcare providers, they cannot be updated with new information without paying to have them changed. A Smart Lecture, however, can be updated anytime by the author. The only cost is the author’s time.
Many healthcare providers are relying on outdated art and animations because they can’t afford to update their materials. They may even forgo using any visual aids at all during patient consultations, resulting in a breakdown doctor and patient communication.
“At a time when business costs are soaring, health care providers are looking for ways to reduce their costs while providing the most up-to-date and relevant medical information.” Piper said. “We are providing that high-quality, low-cost solution healthcare providers need.”