UW opens new dental training facility in spokane

Section:Gallery

Thu., Sept. 18, 2025

Second-year dental student Jeremy Percival uses a high-tech robot simulator on which students learn dental techniques in the University of Washington and Gonzaga University dental program on Thursday in Spokane. The UW cooperative RIDE program, called Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, offered tours of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center Thursday morning. Percival is using a pair of ocular loupes, which allows him to look straight ahead when he is actually looking down into the mouth of the mannequin, which will avoid injury to the neck and spine through a long career in dentistry.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Barbara Davis, who serves on the faculty of the the University of Washington RIDE program, which stands for Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, demonstrates how high definition cameras allow instructors to demonstrate dental techniques to students in the University of Washington and Gonzaga University dental program in Spokane Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. The digital teaching tools allow Spokane classes to stream to the UW campus and Seattle classes to be streamed to Spokane. The offered tours of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center Thursday morning.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Second year dental student Jeremy Percival uses a high tech robot simulator to demonstrate dental techniques in the University of Washington and Gonzaga University dental program in Spokane Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. The UW cooperative program, called Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, offered tours of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center Thursday morning. Percival is using a pair of ocular loupes, which allows him to look straight ahead when he is actually looking down into the mouth of the mannequin, which will avoid injury to the neck and spine through a long career in dentistry.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Barbara Davis, right, who serves on the faculty of the the University of Washington RIDE program, which stands for Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, describes the technologies available to students to Robert J. Jones, left, in the denture lab at the University of Washington and Gonzaga University dental program in Spokane Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. The program offered tours of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center Thursday morning.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
After a tour of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center in Spokane, Washington Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, University of Washington President Robert J. Jones, speaks to the media at the University of Washington and Gonzaga University cooperative dental program in Spokane Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
First year dental student Oswaldo Lopez Meza tries a high tech robot simulator where he will do most of his learning in dental techniques in the University of Washington and Gonzaga University dental program in Spokane Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. The UW RIDE program, called Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, offered tours of the new Spokane Regional Oral Health Care Training Center Thursday morning.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review