Robots are now utilized in every field of research thanks to technological breakthroughs; they have even found their way into dentistry due to the capacity for precision work without being fatigued. Hamilton dentist Dr Moninder Tuli, chatted with us and provided us with information about the usage of robotics in dentistry.
It’s extremely amazing to see how robotics are used in dentistry. The robot, a machine that can mimic life, is one of humankind’s most amazing inventions. Robots reduce human error, improve productivity, and cut down on the amount of time needed to complete a certain operation.
Even some jobs which go beyond the capacity of humans can be completed by robots. With high accuracy and a focus on control, processing and, feedback, it makes use of technology to enhance the safety and quality of a wide variety of jobs. Robots are used in all facets of our lives and may replicate a wide spectrum of human traits.
Today, dentistry and artificial intelligence work together to perform a wide range of dental treatments efficiently and effectively. The usage of dental robotics is discussed in this article, including patient robots as well as robots used in endodontic treatment, oral surgery, implantology, prosthodontics, and orthodontics.
1. Robots for dental patients
Dental patient robots have been created to imitate real-life treatment scenarios for the aim of clinical experience for dental professionals and dental pupils, as well as to strengthen their clinical experience and skills with patients. They are commonly referred to as “Phantoms”.
- Showa Hanako is a lifelike robot that is capable of mimicking a wide range of patient gesticulations and reactions, including sneezing, blinking, coughing, rolling of the eyes, shaking of the head, moving of the tongue, plusthey can even become tired from opening the mouth for an extended period of time. It can mimic gag reflex, which makes it identical to a real patient. It was developed in Tokyo, Japan, by Showa University with help from the Tmsuk robotics firm.
- In Japan, at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute, the Geminoid DK was created. It’s a remotely operated robot that can mimic human facial emotions and diverse head motions thanks to cutting-edge motion capture technology.
- The Nippon Dentistry University Kokoro created Simroid, a revolutionary dental instruction robot, with the intention of assessing the student’s attitude toward the patient while completing a treatment rather than the skill. Based on measuring device in the lips that suggest negative and awaken the students, the robot can feel pain and convey discomfort. It has an skin that is artificial that, if a patient’s mouth is maintained open, can even easily tear. Due to its capacity for speech recognition, which enables pupils to improve their communication skills, it also reacts to instructions and questions.
2. Micro Robot Endo
This robot was created to improve endodontic treatment accuracy and deliver high-quality root canal therapy. The endo micro robot performs autonomous drilling, cleaning, shaping, and three-dimensional lining of the root canal system with the aid of cutting-edge computer assisted endodontic technology under the supervision of an online system and with the assistance of an intelligent system. It offers precise, error-free treatment, reducing the dentist’s stress.
3. Operative Robots
Robotics is used in oral and maxillofacial surgery to perform preprogrammed tasks in the operating room, including the drilling and milling of bones, osteotomy cuts, choosing and placement of plates, and surgical planning. The robot is interactively programmed by the surgeon at the time of surgery.
4. Robotic dental implantology
The most recent kind of surgery that works with computers and allows for implant placement that is guided by creating a 3D model of the patient’s jaw from cone beam CT imaging info. The robot is used to drill a jaw splint at the location selected by a surgical guide made by a planning software.
5. Dental Drill Robot
Recent developments in tactile technologies use tiny needles to penetrate the gum in order to locate the alveolar bone in a patient’s immobilized jaw. This information is then wirelessly transferred to a computer and combined with CT scan info to produce drill instructions.
6. Robot that arranges teeth
A distinct manipulator robotic system, which is frequently used in the field of prosthetic dentistry, is utilized to create entire denture prostheses utilizing a 6DOF CRS robot made in Canada. The entire process is carried out using a 3D virtual teeth arrangement programming software.
7. Precise shapes
Robotic tech is employed to automatically bend orthodontic archwires into a precise shape. For the production of orthodontic appliances, the SureSmile archwire bending robot is a piece of bending equipment that combines grasping tools, a resistive heating method, and computers with CAD/CAM.
Advanced technologies
Robotics and artificial intelligence are replacing humans with more advanced technologies. The time has come for dentists and dentistry students to employ these magnificent robots in current clinical settings because they will produce work of a high standard while requiring less chair time. If a patient agrees and is receptive to current knowledge, robots will transform dentistry in the future to an astonishing degree.
