As dentistry continues to evolve digitally, I began questioning why dental hygiene education had not been centred in that transformation. While simulation technology existed for dental schools, nothing had been intentionally built for the competencies, workflows, and clinical realities of dental hygienists. That gap was the catalyst.
The vision was not simply to introduce new technology into the classroom. This work involved co-developing VR simulation software specifically for dental hygiene education — not adapted from existing dental school tools. The goal was to modernise how hygienists are trained: to strengthen early psychomotor development, reinforce infection control standards, decrease student anxiety before patient care, and improve comprehension and critical thinking.
This work was co-developed in collaboration with Black Meta Agency and Gleechi, with funding support from Delta Dental and integration of NYU's local anesthesia simulation module. The VR platform was designed to mimic real procedural flow. If a student misses a step, the system prompts correction before allowing progression. This reinforces sequencing, repetition, and mastery.
Simulation is not a replacement for clinical experience. It is preparation for it.
Launching at a community college was intentional. Access to advanced training tools has historically been limited to larger institutions. Expanding access was part of the mission from the beginning.
Dental hygiene must be included in conversations around digital transformation. Hygienists are not just participants in the future of dentistry. They are builders of it.