TissueDB/Materials/Modeling Clay
License: Public domain by Sand
This page covers modeling clay and moldable compounds used in medical simulation, including oil-based clay, putty, commercial playdough and homemade salt dough. Some will harden after moulding, others stay pliable. Because of this, these materials are not interchangeable in every build: use the type and consistency specified by the simulator's source.
Tissues
| Tissue | Visual | Tactile | Simulator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cervix (SCJ) and acetowhite lesion | Cervical Cancer Screening Simulator | Red water-based soft clay ring around os represents the squamocolumnar junction. White water-based soft clay patches placed adjacent to SCJ replicate VIA-positive lesions.[1] | ||
| Bone | Long Bone Drilling Simulator | Listed as an additional bone-analog option ("play-dough pipe") in the ETALO Basic Simulator Matrix; not demonstrated in the instructional videos. In the demonstrated builds, clay or play-dough instead serves as the soft stabiliser that holds the bamboo or PPR-pipe bone analog on a flat surface during drilling.[2] | ||
| Ectopic mass | Laparoscopic Ectopic Pregnancy Simulator | Commercial playdough or the homemade soft dough in the Recipe subsection below supplies the deformable ectopic contents. See the simulator's build instructions for filling, containment and placement.[3] | ||
| Fine nerve branches | Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair Simulator (Kurashima) | White putty rolled into slender coils and glued to the pelvic wall stands in for the fine nerve branches the trainee should preserve. Part of the disposable set, replaced when the model is refreshed.[4] | ||
| Cervix (nulliparous and parous) | IUD Insertion Simulator | Light pink oil-based (stiffer) modelling clay rolled into two cylinders — 2.5 cm diameter by 3 cm long for the nulliparous cervix, 3 cm diameter by 3 cm long for the parous one — with a pencil tip or chopstick pressed through the centre to form a smooth, rounded os on the first and a wider "fish mouth" os on the second. Each mounts on the pegs of the 3D-printed uterus. This build carries no squamocolumnar junction and no lesion, so it is separate from the red-and-white clay row above.[5] |
Recipe
Homemade salt dough — ALL-SAFE ectopic pregnancy simulator
The ALL-SAFE ectopic pregnancy build gives this soft-dough option when commercial playdough is unavailable:[3]
- ½ cup flour
- ⅛ cup salt
- ⅛ cup Nescafe or food colouring
- ¼ cup water
The source lists food colouring as the alternative to Nescafe in that ingredient line. Mix to form a soft, moldable ball. Adjust with flour or water for consistency. This recipe is a soft dough initially, but hardens.
References
- ↑ Medical Makers. Gynecologic Simulator. Appropedia; STARS – Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment module (Global Surgical Training Challenge); 2021. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0. https://www.appropedia.org/Gynecologic_Simulator
- ↑ ETALO Basic Simulator Table — bone-analog matrix, ETALO Bone Drilling Module, Global Surgical Training Challenge, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 ALL-SAFE Ectopic Pregnancy Simulator, Component 3 (Prepare the Dough) and Component 4, Steps 1–2. Appropedia.
- ↑ Kurashima Y, Feldman L, Al-Sabah S, Kaneva P, Fried G, Vassiliou M (2011). "A novel low-cost simulator for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair." Surgical Innovation 18(2):171–175. DOI: 10.1177/1553350610395949. PMID: 21307013.
- ↑ Medical Makers. Cervix and Vaginal Canal (with Augmented Feedback) Simulator. Appropedia; STARS module, Global Surgical Training Challenge. https://www.appropedia.org/Cervix_and_Vaginal_Canal_(with_Augmented_Feedback)_Simulator
| Synonyms | Modeling compound, modeling clay, playdough, salt dough, putty |
|---|
| Case-sensitive variations | Clay, clay, CLAY, Clays, clays, CLAYS, Clay material, clay material, modeling clay material |
|---|---|
| Trade names | Play-Doh, Plasticine, Plastilina |
| Regional terms | Arcilla (Spanish), Argile (French), Ton (German), Klei (Dutch), Глина (Russian), Πηλός (Greek), Tanah liat (Indonesian), Barro (Spanish/Portuguese) |
| Forms | Commercial playdough, Homemade salt dough, Water-based soft clay, Oil-based (stiffer) modelling clay, White putty |
| Authors | Ian-laurel, Arturo Pelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturo Pelayo, Ian-laurel (2025–2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Modeling Clay". Appropedia. Retrieved November 13, 2026. |