Background: Holding a dental tool for many hours of work is reflected in fatigue and manual tremor, which causes bad handling of rotatory instruments and consequently injuries within the buccal cavity. At present there exists no system to help the medical dentist in the support and handling of the dental drill. We propose the use of a mechatronic system to help the odontologist in handling the dental drill.
Methods: The mechatronic system consists of an articulated arm with force sensors and actuators that are activated electronically. The mechanism was developed so that the handpiece is held simultaneously by the mechatronic arm and the hand of the dentist. Expert dentists and odontology students were asked to execute tasks to assess positioning accuracy and system resolution. Students performed positioning tasks to evaluate adaptation to the system. The subjects drew the contour of a circle with and without the mechatronic assistant to assess positioning accuracy. Similarly, they made cavities on acrylic typodonts to evaluate resolution and accuracy. Adaptation to the system was evaluated by inserting the drill burr into cavities previously made.
Results: The mechatronic system provides support and stability while handling the dental drill. The threshold of force required to move the mechanism prevents involuntary movements affecting the quality of work made on cavities. Positioning accuracy was improved by 53% (p < 0.017) using the system. Similarly, resolution of drilling was improved by 76% (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: We have developed the first mechatronic system to assist dentists in handling the dental drill. The arm allows the dentist to manipulate the tool with smooth and precise movements during the preparation of dental cavities with the application of force. The mechatronic system minimizes manual tremor due to fatigue and reduces the risk of iatrogenic dental injuries.
Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.