ADMS AT INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

Amaryllis rolled out its first Amaryllis Dental Management System (ADMS) installation at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kulliyah of Dentistry in Kuantan, Pahang.  The project involved installation of the ADMS base system as well as development and installation of 7 dental specialist modules. The specialist modules were – Periodontics, Orthodontics, Oral Surgery, Restorative Surgery, Oral Pathology/Oral Medicine, Paediatrics and Forensics. It also included the creation of innovative software, with the acronym “DIET” (Dental Instruction, Evaluation and Training System), which utilises digital and imaging techniques in evaluating dental students' simulation and clinical operative techniques.

From the onset, the Kulliyah of Dentistry, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) was intended to be anything but an ordinary dental faculty. It was envisioned to match current trends with the ability to adapt to the future.

The Kulliyah does not teach its students anything different - only differently. The key enabler to this is taking advantage of today’s technology.

The hub of the Kulliyah’s advanced dental clinic environment is an integrated computerised system which comprises Amaryllis Dental Management Systems (ADMS), incorporating clinical and academic modules; 7 specialist modules; and a Digital Patients Record System. These elements are tightly linked to a digital audio-video communications system over a local area network.

With all records, including X-Ray images, stored in digital form, students and lecturers are able to retrieve all information on patients instantaneously thus allowing more time for discussion on the best possible treatment.

The integrated digital audio-video function, meanwhile, allows three-way communications between the students, lecturers and the patients, complete with real-time visuals. And when need be, the students and lecturers can also have discreet communications between them over the network. Similar set-ups are also extended to the laboratory section of the clinic.

Indeed the dental stations at the Kulliyah are nothing like a regular dentist chair at your neighbourhood clinic.. Instead of using traditional dental mirrors to take a look at patient’s teeth, students here are using a dental camera which displays the image on the LCD panels located at the back and front of the dental chair. The same image can also be displayed at the lecturer’s console. The panels are also used to display the patient’s records for the student to refer to.

The digital communications features available at each dental station has enabled the clinic to also function as a language lab, a lecture room, an examination room, discussion room and practical/clinical assessment room.

The application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has also enabled the Kulliyyah to put in place an effective and fairer method of assessment where each student is assessed by at least three lecturers and with scores averaged out by the system.

Works done by students are recorded and stored digitally, including relevant images. These records can be retrieved whether for assessment, group discussion and future reference purposes.

Kulliyah invested RM3.59 million in the project, as it strongly believes that in today’s tech-savvy environment, students are becoming increasingly reliant on the use of ICT for learning. More importantly, the students are exposed to a clinical environment that is set to be the norm in dental health services in a near future.

The contract to install was awarded to Amaryllis, as it was a local Malaysian software supplier that was able to deliver what the Kulliyah needed at a much lower cost - despite foreign competition.