Students at the extended and newly-developed Dublin Dental Hospital on Lincoln Place are doubly blessed. Not only has the dark Victorian atmosphere of the old building, which was built over 100 years ago, been transformed. (Think bright sunshine, white walls hung with modern works of art and gleaming state-of-the-art equipment.) But now students are benefiting from a new teaching method which was introduced six years ago under the direction of the former dean of the hospital, Professor Derry Shanley.

The method, which forms a significant part of the undergraduate five-year dental programme, involves self-directed learning. The traditional method of delivering information to students who sat in a lecture hall taking notes has largely been replaced by a problem-solving learning system where small groups are presented with a problem and ask to gather around to confer and discuss possible solutions. They pool their knowledge, they consult, they communicate and then they go away to research and come up with a solution.

Derek Duggan from Portmarnock, Co Dublin, a fourth-year dentistry student at the hospital, says the method "keeps you motivated from week to week . . . It's not boring. You don't get people falling asleep at the back of lecture halls. It makes everybody contribute as well. You're marked on your contributions as well, so it encourages everybody to take part and you work on real-life problems as well, so it's relevant."

Another fourth-year student Norzalina Ghazali, from Malaysia, enjoys the multi-disciplinary approach to problem-solving also because "it depends on your own learning, you can do your own research, it's not tied to the lecturer". And, she says, "we change groups every six weeks so we can see the different types of approaches that students have".

Ian Fitzgerald, a final-year student from Portlaoise, Co Laois, says "it makes you look up things. It's not just handed to you. And it has brought on people who would otherwise be quiet." He loves the new building, he says, because "it's so bright and airy".

Brian Murray, chief executive of the hospital, says the hospital carries out just under 100,000 patient treatments a year. With the new building, students and staff now work in "a safe environment" as opposed to a building which was condemned 10 years ago. As to problem-based learning, which is participative, "we've seen real benefits", he explains. Today, the system is at the forefront of learning. It is in use in only a handful of education programmes in the health care field outside Ireland. The Dublin Dental Hospital's education programme is the only one of its kind in Ireland so far.

Professor John Clarkson, newly-appointed dean of the hospital, explains how the idea of dentistry has changed. "My vision of dentistry is much broader than just the traditional view. We consider ourselves as oral physicians." A good dentist, he explains, does not just look at the teeth. He or she must look at "the well-being of the patient in general. People's expectations have changed," he says.

As to the teaching method, he explains that "traditionally we were taught by the lecturer. The approach now is to work in small groups of eight . . . From a longterm point of view they have the ability to search for information right through their career. It's fairly innovative. We're probably one of the key leaders in it."

THE NEW high-tech facility, developed at a cost of £13 million, which was added to the older part of the building, was opened by the Taoiseach two years ago. Since then, "we've seen real benefits", says Murray.

Another exciting development for dentistry students is the introduction of virtual dentistry. In a pain-free environment, students can learn to use a computer-based training package which involves infra-red tracking sensors that are located in a mannequin's head and mouth. Three images are displayed on a 17-inch computer screen - a close-up of the mouth and two angles of the tooth under repair. Using a computer mouse, these images can be rotated or enlarged for a more detailed view. As students organise cavity and crown preparations, colour changes on the computer-generated image indicate the level of penetration within the tooth.