TCS Sample Models · iFlex Partial · Upper

Typodonts vary by design complexity, by what they are meant to teach and by how they are made. Most are mass-produced in plastic by injection moulding; newer ones are made by vat polymerisation, which allows computer-aided design. Some recreate the anatomical layers of a human tooth: enamel, dentine and pulp. A survey of dentists and students found anatomical layering, tactile realism and caries to be what matters in simulation teaching.

Diagnostic records, including charts and study models, are among the things the ADA lists as typically noted in the dental record. A diagnostic cast is a life-size reproduction of part or parts of the mouth, or of the facial structures, made for study and treatment planning. The glossary marks the older term "study cast" as obsolete, a synonym of diagnostic cast. A dental cast is a positive life-size reproduction of a part or parts of the oral cavity.

A teaching model is a different thing from a cast taken off a patient: dental schools rely on artificial models of human teeth, called typodonts, to train students in the technical skills of clinical dentistry. Simulation-based education is commonplace in dentistry, so that skills needing dexterity can be practised safely and repeatedly before patients are treated. Nine pages sit on this shelf: seven under study and educational models, one under patient giveaways. The record also carries a note of any pamphlets or reference materials provided, alongside postoperative or home instructions.

Sources: ADA Guidelines for Practice Success: Documentation/Patient Records · The Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, 9th edition (J Prosthet Dent 2017) · Cheadle et al. 2026, Perceived effectiveness: simulation teeth in dental education (BMC Med Educ)