58 state-of-the-art technician workstations and 14 simulation workstations in two skills labs, six laboratories, two seminar rooms and three additional treatment rooms: all of this is located in around 600 square metres of space in the new teaching facilities of Ulm Dentistry. The remodelling project, which was led by the Ulm office of Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg, cost a total of 7.62 million euros. The opening ceremony took place on Friday, 13 February.
Before Dentistry students remove caries or fit crowns on real patients, they learn the fundamentals of treatment in practical courses. The new skills labs with their state-of-the-art laboratories, workstations and treatment rooms at Ulm University offer the best conditions for this. They have been in use by all four Dental Clinics at Ulm University Medicine since the start of the 2025/26 winter semester. Last Friday, the new facilities on the fourth and fifth floors of the N24 building were officially opened.
Remodelling had become necessary due to the new licensing regulations for dentists, which have been in force since 2021 and require for more clinical practice and interdisciplinary work. Urgent action was also needed to ensure occupational safety and to equip all workstations digitally, as Professor Bernd Lapatki, Medical Director of the Clinic for Orthodontics and Orthodontics and Dean of Studies for Dentistry, reported at the opening. Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg and Ulm University jointly managed the conversion from planning to completion in just three years - during ongoing teaching operations. "It was a great collaboration and worked really well," said a delighted Lapatki.
The practical courses in the skills labs complement the Dentistry lectures. Local anaesthesia, cutting and suturing techniques, tooth removal and the basics of materials and instruments: This basic knowledge is taught using model heads, explained Dr Franziska Sachs, Senior Physician at the Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Two students practise the treatment situation together at a simulation workstation. This includes not only procedures such as surgical tooth removal, but also ergonomic working and correct patient support. The students are supervised by two lecturers and one Dentistry specialist.
There is now 600 square metres of space for teaching and research, spread over two floors. "We completely gutted the building, partially renovated the façade, removed hazardous substances and integrated laboratory technology," reported Frank Tuschla, Department Head of Technology at Vermögen und Bau Amt Ulm. The construction costs totalled 1.5 million euros, plus 3.5 million euros for technology. The costs for the equipment were covered by the Medical Faculty of Ulm University, "because training is of course important to us," said its Dean, Professor Thomas Wirth. In future, Dentistry students will learn with the latest digital technology, including intraoral cameras for scanning the oral cavity and 3D printing of jaw models. "The skills labs are now future-proof," Wirth is convinced.
Further information:
Prof. Dr Dr Bernd Lapatki, Medical Director of the Clinic for Orthodontics and Orthodontics and Dean of Studies in Dentistry, email: bernd.lapatki(at)uniklinik-ulm.de
Text and media contact: Christine Liebhardt