Lab Simulations
Collecting waste extracted teeth for your local undergraduates

How dentists can help their local dental schools

The use of waste extracted teeth plays a vital role in the education and training of undergraduate dental students. Gaining an appreciation for the consistency of diseased and healthy tooth tissue cannot be reproduced by synthetic products. Therefore it is imperative for students to simulate operative exercises on waste extracted teeth prior to treating patients and for refining their clinical skills.

Due to patients retaining teeth longer and a lack of understanding of current legislation the supply of waste natural teeth has declined. We would encourage General Practitioners to collect waste teeth for any local undergraduates that request it. Here are some basic guidelines for UK dentists:

• Verbal consent must be obtained by the patient to retain the waste tooth for educational purposes.
• Written consent is not required.
• A simple abbreviation such as CRT – consent to retain teeth can be written in the notes indicating that verbal consent was obtained.
• The teeth should be of reasonable quality, have all soft tissue removed and be stored in a dilute solution of household bleach – diluted one part bleach to five parts water
• Teeth should be stored in a plastic container and not glass.

Most patients are very supportive and normally only to happy to help out and provide support for education. Maintaining a supply for dental schools is vital to continue a high standard of operative teaching for dental students.