2025 Volume 41 Issue 2 Pages 34-40
Abstract This paper reports on the efforts made to improve thinking and “imaging skills” in the clinical training program for dental residents at Nagasaki University Hospital. We believe that imaging skills are important in clinical training for dental residents, including the ability to (1) plan ahead, (2) imagine the anatomical structure of invisible parts, and (3) visualize treatment procedures and techniques. In order to improve these skills, it is necessary to acquire basic knowledge and skills, as well as to undergo training from a variety of perspectives. In this paper, we introduce seven training contents : basic training, goal setting, drawing of periodontal tissue and teeth and tooth carving, creating pre-treatment reports, post-treatment feedback, training using videos from the perspective of the operator, and case study meetings. We have described the factors that we believe contribute to improving thinking and imaging skills for each of these. We believe that these approaches complement each other and contribute to fostering the ability of dental residents to visualize the details of treatment and act autonomously. As a training facility, it is important to encourage the dental residents to make efforts to acquire knowledge and skills on a daily basis, and to construct training that improves their ability to think and visualize.
