DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/48TA-N268
Defense Date
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Biochemistry
First Advisor
Janina P. Lewis
Second Advisor
Dayanjan Wijesinghe
Abstract
There are limited teaching tools for helping both students and patients understand the oral microbiome. It is important to understand the oral microbiome as it heavily influences the health of your oral cavity and the dysbiosis of disease. The oral microbiome influences other aspects of health and serves as an indicator for health. With a greater understanding of the oral microbiome, patients can make healthier lifestyle changes and dentists can better educate their patients. For that reason, the goal of this project was to create a virtual reality tool for visualizing the oral microbiome. The assets for the VR tool such as the bacteria, head, and teeth, were created using Blender. Afterward, the assets were coded and used in Unity to create the virtual reality scenes. The final product allows users to go inside the oral cavity and explore the oral microbiome. While exploring the mouth, users can go into the dental biofilm to learn more about the oral microbiome. Inside the plaque, the user can interact with the bacteria and learn more about the bacteria in the oral microbiome. This educational VR tool incorporates knowledge about the oral microbiome such as the bacteria present, virulence factors, bacterial interactions, and various dental pathologies. This tool encompasses more concepts than a single graph or image can and as a result provides a more effective way for teaching students and patients about the oral microbiome.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-6-2021