Jan. 9, 2026
Rooms to Grow
Pitt Dental Medicine has three new state-of-the-art digital dentistry labs in which to train students and residents in real-world patient care.
TOPICS: Education
Three new dentistry labs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine will give students and residents hands-on experience with cutting edge digital dental technology while providing patients with the latest in modern dental care.
Nerone standing between two students teaching in Pitt Dental Medicine's 4th floor lab for first-year dental students“Pitt Dental Medicine’s new digital dentistry labs represent a bold step into the future of dentistry,” said Robert Nerone, vice chair and assistant professor of restorative dentistry and comprehensive care and director of Chairside Digital Dentistry, Pitt School of Dental Medicine. “Integrated into both our curriculum and patient care processes, these state-of-the-art facilities are designed to transform how we educate students, train residents and care for our patients.”
“This new effort at Pitt Dental Medicine represents one of the first fully integrated, multilevel digital workflows in U.S. dental education,” he said. “This structure reflects how cutting-edge private practices and high-end dental labs operate, giving students and residents real-world experience in a fully modernized environment.”
Suvendra Vijayan, assistant professor of diagnostic sciences
Very few dental schools in the United States have integrated digital dentistry centers that support preclinical, clinical and advanced workflows under one roof with a shared digital infrastructure, according to Suvendra Vijayan, assistant professor of diagnostic sciences and director of 3D Printing and Advanced Technologies, Pitt School of Dental Medicine.
“This new effort at Pitt Dental Medicine represents one of the first fully integrated, multilevel digital workflows in U.S. dental education,” he said. “This structure reflects how cutting-edge private practices and high-end dental labs operate, giving students and residents real-world experience in a fully modernized environment.”
A gloved hand holding a fully sculpted crown taken from the milling machineAccording to Nerone, the new digital labs will offer improved clinical treatment options for patients. Digital workflows reduce human error and provide highly precise restorations such as crowns, bridges and dentures, while improving efficiency and turnaround times by streamlining production processes.
Digital records and designs can also facilitate better communication between the dentist, lab technician and patient and allow for more personalized and esthetically pleasing restorations.
Robert Nerone and Suvendra Vijayan, with instructor Eunah Park, in the 4th floor lab assisting dental students, who are seated in front of computers“This is not just about fancy equipment,” said Vijayan. “It’s about training future-ready dentists who are competent with intraoral scanning, computer-assisted design (CAD), 3D printing and chairside milling and providing patients modern, efficient care with faster turnaround times and improved outcomes.”
The three labs are:
The Preclinic Lab is for preclinical first- and second-year predoctoral students to safely practice digital techniques and develop skills in scanning and designing with CAD/CAM software. They fabricate their projects on 3D models of the oral cavity before transitioning to live patient care.
The General Dentistry Practice Lab is for third- and fourth-year predoctoral students to scan, design and manufacture prosthetics and restorations for patients in the school’s General Dentistry Practice, allowing students to gain hands-on clinical experience and real-time feedback on clinical performance in a full digital workflow similar to that of modern private practices.
The Resident/Specialty Practice Lab is devoted to dental resident use for their designs and manufacturing for the school’s Specialty Practices. Here, residents will refine their expertise by working on complex cases requiring nuanced design and manufacturing decisions and have the opportunity to explore materials, workflows and case studies that contribute to clinical research.