Robotic Dentistry

Medical robots are being put into practice as they can help increase safety, quality and precision for medical professionals. Robotic technology is always advancing and a wide range of robots are being developed to suit roles in the medical environment. These are some examples of robotic technology being used in dentistry.

Dental Implant Robot
In 2017, a robotic dentist fitted two dental implants into a woman’s mouth in china. Medical staff were present during the operation and programmed the robot’s movements but did not intervene in the surgery. The 3D printed teeth were fitted within a margin of error 0.2-0.3 mm, which is standard for implant surgery. China has a shortage of qualified dentists so robotic dentistry would help meet the demand. Robotic dentistry could also help reduce the risk of human-made errors.

Yomi
US company (Neocis) announced last year that the US Food & Drug Administration had given clearance for them to introduce the first robotically assisted system for dental implant surgery called Yomi. During the procedure, the system tracks the patient and controls the direction of the drill in order to guarantee the correct location is targeted with the correct depth and orientation. The system also allows for quick plan changes.

Showa Hanako 2
Tokyo’s Showa University has engaged robotics company Tmsuk to create a realistic training robot for dental students. Showa Hanako 1 was the first attempt but since then a more improved robot has been developed; Showa Hanako 2. The skin and mouth lining is made of silicone to increase the realistic texture and to prevent water from dental tools getting into the machinery. The robot is designed to move like a real patient. 

Patients would be more willing to accept robotic dentistry for procedures like teeth whitening or cleaning but would be hesitant towards using them for more invasive procedures such as root canals. The promise of cheaper dentistry with robots however would increase their popularity. Overall, robots in dentistry would help with the shortage of dentists available, would reduce the risk of human error and would allow treatment to potentially be cheaper and more accessible in general. 

Thank you for reading!

Written by Lizzie Nash  
           
Sources
https://www.scarsdaledentistry.com/blog/2018/01/17/robot-assisted-dental-implants-future-dentistry/
https://www.osseonews.com/robot-assisted-implant-surgery-future/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Osseodaily+%28OsseoNews%29
https://futurism.com/a-chinese-robot-dentist-operated-on-a-human-patient-for-the-first-time-ever
https://newatlas.com/showa-hanako-2-dental-robot/19086/
https://www.cnet.com/news/sex-doll-tech-moves-to-the-dentists-chair/

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