ART AND DENTISTRY COLLABORATE IN LONDON DENTAL TRIBUNE INTERNATIONAL, JANUARY 13, 2020 Leave a comment

LONDON, UK: In the dental clinic setting, communication is key to both successful results and satisfaction. At a recent exhibition, titled “Heads up! Shining a light on innovations in oral health”, the goal was to shine a new light on the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London in order to improve understanding from both a practitioner’s and a patient’s point of view.
Held at the Arcade at Bush House from 2 to 13 December, the exhibition was the culmination of the Arts in Dentistry Innovation Programme started in 2018 that offered opportunities for artists and arts organisations to develop new conversations and collaborations with researchers from the faculty. It showcased how such collaborations can highlight the lived experience of patients and clinicians in an accessible format and offered innovative approaches to student education.
Among the exhibited pieces were projects exploring regenerative dentistry and stem cell research through poetry, utilising virtual reality to see the world from the perspective of someone in a wheelchair, and raising awareness of hearing loss and dry mouth through 3D printing.
Visitors heaped praise on the exhibition, and one commented that “Visualisation and plays of perceptions reminded me to observe and sense, interact and care for the mouth and teeth differently … I look forward to introducing new notions and aspects of healing approaches to my practice.”
King’s College London commented that the projects demonstrated how cross-collaboration can invite multiple perspectives and change the way areas such as craniofacial research are understood. Along with the exhibition, a short film about the Arts in Dentistry Innovation collaborations was screened.
There were also a series of creative workshops involving clay making, experimental drawing, modelling stem cells and making mouths with embroidery.