Greater Altoona CTC Elevates Dental Assistant Training with zSpace AR/VR Technology
Interactive AR/VR laptops help students visualize dental anatomy, build confidence, and accelerate clinical readiness
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- zSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZSPC), a global leader in immersive augmented reality (AR) learning solutions for education, today announced that the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center (GACTC) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, has strengthened its Dental Assistant Program through the use of zSpace AR/VR technology. Under the leadership of Dental Assisting Instructor, Andrea Lascoli, the program is leveraging the zSpace Inspire 2 and the zSpace Dental Anatomy application to improve students’ understanding of dental structures, support diverse learners, and enhance preparation for hands-on clinical skills.
The Challenge
At the GACTC, Dental Assisting students needed a way to understand complex dental anatomy with greater clarity than traditional typodonts and textbooks could provide. While typodonts allow for basic practice, they cannot reveal internal structures such as roots, layers, and differences between primary and permanent teeth.
Dental Assisting Instructor, Andrea Lascoli, also sought a tool that would support a diverse variety of learners who benefit from repetition, self-paced review, and multiple opportunities to build confidence before entering clinical settings.
The Solution: zSpace AR/VR for Dental Assisting
The GACTC implemented the zSpace Inspire 2, a headset-free AR/VR laptop that allows students to explore realistic 3D dental models, peel back anatomical layers, and examine structures not accessible through physical tools.
A New Level of Understanding
Sophomore dental assisting student Lydia Schmansky described how zSpace changed her understanding of dental anatomy:
“zSpace impacted my learning by letting me see and do things that I can't do normally in the classroom, like see the roots.
“I can understand dental anatomy better because with things like our typodonts, we can't peel back the different layers to see the different roots, but on zSpace we can and it helps us have a better understanding of the dental anatomy.
“We can understand the dental anatomy better. Just like with our typodonts, we can't peel back the different layers and see things like the roots. But with zSpace, we can. It helps us better understand everything.
“We can take and see the gums and take them away. So we can understand and see the roots for baby teeth and the permanent teeth, because they're very different. We need to understand the difference between them. And we would not have been able to do that if we didn't have zSpace.”
Support for All Learners
Andrea Lascoli explained how zSpace supports her students:
“zSpace also helps my…learners who need that extra help. It allows them to come back and work by themselves. Repeat it as many times as they need to repeat it, and it really helps to give them the confidence, whenever they then have to apply it into the clinical setting. Working with other peers.”
zSpace empowers a diverse variety of students, especially those who need alternative ways to practice, build confidence, and master skills.
Stronger Engagement and Skill Readiness
Andrea has also seen dramatic gains in student interest, engagement, and preparedness:
“I think that the engagement with my students is awesome. They want to come back themselves and dive deeper into the content. It takes real life scenarios that might be boring with a textbook, and it actually brings them to life. And my students want to dive deeper into it. They want to learn more and I think that it's a way better learning experience than just reading it out of a textbook.
“zSpace helps them build the confidence that they need. They come back and they practice it before I put them in the clinical setting... It saves so much time for me when I'm assessing them because they've practiced so much on the zSpace. Then by the time that I am assessing them, they know it just like that.
“[I]t only takes pretty much minutes for me to do the assessment.
“The content is … unbelievable. My students want to dive deeper into the content. They ask more questions. They always ask to come back so that they can be on zSpace.
“Since using zSpace, I have noticed stronger engagement, better retention, and more confidence whenever my students move on to hands-on skills.
“zSpace has truly elevated my teaching, and it has … brought my classroom to life.”
Results
Through zSpace, GACTC students are gaining a clearer understanding of dental structures, practicing skills more independently, and entering clinical environments with increased confidence. The immersive technology supports learners at all levels, encourages repeated practice, and enhances instructional efficiency for the dental assisting program.
About zSpace
zSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZSPC) delivers innovative augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) experiences that drive achievement in STEM, CTE, and career readiness programs. Trusted by over 3,500 school districts, technical centers, community colleges, and universities, zSpace enables hands-on "learning by doing" experiences proven to improve engagement and student outcomes. Headquartered in San Jose, California, zSpace holds more than 80 patents, with research published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2021) validating the impact of 3D virtual reality technologies on student knowledge gains.
Press Contact:
Amanda Austin
Senior Marketing Director, zSpace, Inc.
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