Case Study: CWRU School of Dental Medicine Brings Anatomy to Life with HoloAnatomy®
Health Education Campus Photo courtesy of CWRU
TL;DR: At Case Western Reserve University’s School of Dental Medicine, students use HoloAnatomy®, an immersive 3D anatomy software, to explore the head, neck, and cranial nerves in a virtual anatomy lab. Integrated with dissection study, HoloAnatomy helps dental students “see before they cut,” strengthening spatial understanding, confidence, and clinical readiness.
Dental education is uniquely intense. Unlike other health professions, dental students graduate in four years as licensed general dentists, already performing invasive procedures by their third year. Dr. David Rolf II, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Dental Medicine, explains:
“Dental School is like taking a clinical residency and cramming it into the four years of predoctoral education and training.”
In this environment, mastering anatomy is critical. Students must not only recall structures but also visualize them in three dimensions to perform surgery safely. Traditional resources alone are no longer enough. Today’s learners benefit from immersive 3D anatomy software that connects knowledge with practice.
The Challenge: Teaching for Surgical Readiness
Dissection and prosection remain essential, but they have limits. As Dr. Rolf notes, surgeons live by the rule “I don’t cut what I can’t see.” In dentistry, “seeing” means forming a precise 3D mental image of nerves, vessels, and tissues before cutting, and combining this with other clinical digital imaging modalities. Traditional methods can’t always deliver this level of spatial clarity.
The Solution: A Virtual Anatomy Lab Experience
CWRU created a layered learning model: dissection lab + classroom instruction + HoloAnatomy 3D anatomy software. Anatomy faculty guide students through HoloAnatomy sessions that extend textbook and lab learning into immersive exploration.
First-year students encounter HoloAnatomy in modules on cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, experiencing what amounts to an anatomy physiology VR lesson. By year two, they use HoloAnatomy® Neuro to master cranial nerves, timed with their training in local anesthesia.
“We don’t cram neuro into the D1 anatomy curriculum,” says Dr. Rolf. “We deliver neuroanatomy in D2 year when students are about to use it clinically, and pair this with cadaver-based local anesthesia injection skills. That’s when it all comes together for students.”
Across the pre-clinical years, students log about 30 hours in this virtual anatomy lab, reinforcing musculoskeletal, head and neck, cardiovascular, GI, and neuroanatomy content.
Dental students explore head and neck anatomy in 3D with HoloAnatomy®, a virtual anatomy lab and anatomy AR app transforming dental education.
Why It Resonates with Dental Students
Many dental students arrive with visual-spatial strengths, often from art, music, sports, or other kinesthetic pursuits. HoloAnatomy taps into that:
“Dentists are scientists, engineers, and artists of the mouth. HoloAnatomy feeds those skills and takes them to another level. It’s like moving from a textbook to IMAX.”
By combining the feel of a video game with the rigor of professional training, this anatomy AR app enables students to rotate organs, trace nerve pathways, and explore anatomy in ways cadavers alone cannot provide.
Impact on Learning
HoloAnatomy deepens comprehension and reinforces safe surgical practice. For example, in oral and periodontal surgery, clinicians must avoid vital structures. Seeing those structures a virtual anatomy lab before ever holding a scalpel helps them internalize anatomy in ways static resources cannot.
Medical education research already shows that anatomy software delivered in XR improves retention and speeds mastery. CWRU plans to replicate such studies with dental cohorts, but even now, anecdotal evidence is strong: students consistently say HoloAnatomy helps them understand and apply rather than just memorize.
Looking Ahead
With the arrival of Meta Quest 3 and .NEXT™, CWRU sees potential for take-home study and clinical integration. Dr. Rolf imagines breaking down a surgical or dental implant procedure, donning the headset to explore anatomy, then watching a video of the real surgery.
“That’s where this is headed. And when students see anatomy this way and connect it to clinical procedures and treatment planning, they get excited - It changes everything.”
Key Takeaway
For dental educators, anatomy isn’t abstract – it’s the foundation of safe patient care. By integrating cadaver study with a virtual anatomy lab powered by cutting-edge 3D anatomy software, CWRU shows how immersive tools like HoloAnatomy can prepare students to become stronger clinicians and practice-ready graduates.
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HoloAnatomy is woven into a layered learning model that combines cadaver dissection, classroom instruction, and immersive 3D exploration. First-year students use it in cardiovascular and musculoskeletal modules, while second-year students apply it to neuroanatomy alongside local anesthesia training. This timing ensures anatomy knowledge is connected to clinical application, right when students need it most.
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By pairing immersive 3D visualization with dissection labs, HoloAnatomy helps students truly “see before they cut.” It allows them to explore structures like cranial nerves, muscles, and vasculature in full spatial context, something difficult to achieve in dissection alone.
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Faculty report stronger comprehension, faster connections, and those “aha” moments when students suddenly see how anatomy works in practice. Students enter clinical training with greater spatial confidence and understanding of complex anatomy. Instead of memorizing isolated structures, they’re able to visualize relationships that guide safe procedures, especially in nerve mapping and local anesthesia.