Dentistry, the new frontier is simulation: a step forward in training at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome 

Immersive technologies and virtual patients are redefining the clinical learning of future dentists, anticipating the complexity of real practice in the laboratory. 

Rome, March 4, 2026. In 21st-century healthcare, simulation has become a key element in ensuring the quality of healthcare professional training. This is particularly true in dentistry, where clinical precision and decision-making skills are developed through consistent, controlled, and progressive practice. In this context, the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome UCBM introduced SIMtoCARE, an immersive technology environment that integrates training, practice, and care, offering students the tools to hone their skills and become excellent professionals. 

The initiative highlighted how learning in dentistry can no longer be based solely on traditional teaching and late clinical training. personalization of care, the complexity of procedures and the ever-increasing expectations of patients They require professionals ready for clinical contact with a very advanced level of manual and cognitive training. To further strengthen the immersive training model, the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome UCBM presented the latest generation simulator SIMtoCARE at the event “SIMtoCARE The meeting between simulation and reality”. 

High-fidelity simulation It addresses this need by allowing students to practice in a safe environment, repeat procedures a virtually unlimited number of times, learn from mistakes without risk to the patient, and develop coordination, precision, and clinical judgment. This is a crucial step in a discipline where the margin for error is increasingly reduced and where the quality of the first intervention significantly impacts therapeutic outcomes. 

The new environment particularly supports the training of students of the Master's Degree in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics LM-46R active from 2024, an interdisciplinary program that integrates medical sciences, engineering, and the humanities. Cutting-edge facilities, laboratories, and advanced teaching tools, a State-of-the-art Simulation Center and a strong integration between teaching, research, and innovation place students at the center of a highly formative path. 

The University's training model integrates the simulation as an integral part of the educational path contributing to bridge the gap between the university classroom and clinical practice. The simulator introduced in Italy for the first time use a screen in 4K resolution with autostereoscopic technology, it does not require 3D glasses and allows students to operate virtually by observing their hands in action on the scenario.

Thanks to advanced software and a case editor that can be adapted to teaching needs, the system is highly customizable and the Livestream feature allows you to broadcast the exercises live on the big screen, sharing the experience with the rest of the students. 

SIMtoCARE allows students to practice their manual skills in Operative dentistry, dental prosthetics, endodontics, periodontology, anesthesia, implantology, dental surgery, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, anatomy, and medical record compilationWith a single tool with high educational potential, it is possible to train a broad spectrum of dental skills within an integrated digital environment. The ability to customize clinical cases and share exercises in real time with teachers and colleagues transforms the individual experience into a collaborative and measurable learning process. 

The event was opened by the Rector Rocco Papalia, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Bruno Vincenzi and that of the Faculty of Engineering Alessio Gizzi who emphasized how investing in simulation represents a strategic choice for raising the standards of healthcare training. 

"In UCBM Dentistry is synonymous with pure technological innovation thanks to the natural synergy with biomedical and bioengineering sciences" – the professor underlined Luca Testarelli, Professor of Dentistry at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome - Dentistry UCBM It's also about caring for the student. Our faculty fosters a close and collaborative student-teacher relationship, allowing students to immediately experience an immersive learning experience, including pre-clinical and clinical learning. Dentistry UCBM It is also post-graduate training thanks to the training offered by masters and courses of the UCBM Academy led by professionals with strong teaching and clinical innovation skills such as Gaetano Calesini, Raffaele Cavalcanti, Raffaele Schiavoni and Tiziano Testori." 

"This technology offers many advantages. One of the most important is the possibility of greatly reducing the gap between students' professional training and the professional reality." says Gaetano Calesini, professor of Dental Materials and Prosthetic Technologies UCBMToday, explains the specialist, there is a gap between the speed with which techniques and materials evolve and the teachings that students receive. “The materials studied during the degree course are obsolete in 8-10 years”, He says. "This type of simulator, which can be updated in real time, will allow students to acquire technical skills aligned with current materials and technologies. This will greatly accelerate the opportunity for these graduates to enter the manufacturing sector.". 

“These technologies allow us to speed up practical learning, which is essential in our field.”Comments Nicola Maria Grande, Adjunct Professor of Endodontics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. "Above all, they allow the professional to feel confident in performing procedures that they can't have when facing a patient, whose presence, in addition to raising ethical concerns, inevitably generates anxiety in the practitioner. Being free from these constraints gives the practitioner a sense of security that will undoubtedly translate into improved quality and faster learning." 

From a technological point of view, as explained by Technical Project Manager of SIMtoCARE Tom De Jong BoersNext-generation tools are making the experience increasingly immersive, realistic, and customizable, further bridging the gap between training and clinical practice. The message is clear: simulation is no longer an afterthought, but a cornerstone of contemporary dental education. In a university challenged to compete on a global scale and in an increasingly demanding healthcare system, investing in immersive environments means investing directly in the quality of future care. The Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome UCBM thus confirms its leadership in the training of future dentists.