About this course: We all need healthy teeth, don’t we? The drive for development of new and novel oral biomaterials has never been more important with many people using oral biomaterials today and seeing their benefits in restoring and improving their oral health for a more enjoyable lifestyle. The unique properties of biomaterials such as titanium (Ti), zirconia (ZrO2) and various polymeric materials have made them materials of choice in oral health: dental implants, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and even regenerative medicine. Oral biomaterials research today is an exciting and intensive multidisciplinary area that encompasses contributions from a wide range of fields from professional dentistry to biology, chemistry, physics, material science, and engineering. This 4-week Oral Biomaterials course unveils to you the special properties and benefits of biomaterials including, titanium and titanium alloys, other alloys, zirconia and other ceramics, and modern composites. You will gain insights of practical use and applications of these biomaterials in different aspects of dentistry and clinical implications. You will realize how contemporary dentistry is about unifying synthetic materials to living tooth and bone tissues. You will get in touch with the crucial roles of digital dentistry and learn about CAD/CAM technology in crown fabrication, 3D printing and digital orthodontics. And lastly, you will be introduced to procedures and testing methods used to analyze and test significant mechanical properties of biomaterials in the research laboratory. Our vision for the course is to bring together expertise and experience in dentistry and a broad range to subjects for potential synergy in tomorrow’s oral biomaterials development and increase awareness of oral health.
Who is this class for: The course is designed to serve multiple groups of learners. (1) Dental practitioners, specialized dentists, and dental technicians (global): They will keep their knowledge up to date on the basic properties and concepts of dental biomaterials and other materials used in clinical dentistry, medicine and dental laboratories. (2) Non-dental practitioners: It is informative, mind opening and highly useful for medical and dental R&D staff, material engineers, marketing and sales personnel to keep up-to-date with the state of the art development in biomaterial science and technology. (3) Dental students and students from a diverse background: The students are enabled to learn the big picture, the special characteristics and proper procedures for health, handling, safety, and infection control with respect to oral biomaterials. (4) Senior Secondary School students: The course is also a good extended learning experience for senior secondary school students who wish to pursue a career in dentistry, medicine or materials science and engineering in their tertiary education.
Taught by: Jukka Pekka Matinlinna, Professor in Dental Materials Science, Head of Unit
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong
Taught by: James Kit Hon Tsoi, Assistant Professor in Dental Materials Science, Assistant Dean of Electives and Experiential Learning
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong
| Commitment | 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
very useful course for all dentists
I felt it could be more clinically oriented and subjects could be more elaborate. More demonstrations can also be made
Superb knoledge from this course! I would appreciate another one based more on clinical side. Lot of other things must be known.
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
Really helpful course! Thanks Hong Kong University!