A Virtual System for Cavity Preparation in Endodontics

Abstract

This article presents a novel virtual teeth drilling system designed to aid dentists, dental students, and researchers in getting acquainted with teeth anatomy, the handling of drilling instruments, and the challenges associated with drilling procedures during endodontic therapy. The system is designed to be used for educational and research purposes in dental schools. The application features a 3D face and oral cavity model constructed using anatomical data that can be adapted to the characteristics of a specific patient using either facial photographs or 3D data. Animation of the models is also feasible. Virtual drilling using a Phantom Desktop (Sensable Technologies Inc., Woburn, MA) force feedback haptic device is performed within the oral cavity on 3D volumetric and surface models of teeth, obtained from serial cross sections of natural teeth. Final results and intermediate steps of the drilling procedure can be saved on a file for future use. The application has the potential to be a very promising educational and research tool that allows the user to practice virtual teeth drilling for endodontic cavity preparation or other related d research tool that allows the user to practice virtual teeth drilling for endodontic cavity preparation or other related research tool that allows the user to practice virtual teeth drilling for endodontic cavity preparation or other related procedures on high-detail teeth models placed within an adaptable and animated 3D face and oral cavity model.Mr.

An initial assessment of haptics in preclinical operative dentistry training

“…In oral maxillofacial surgery, third molar extraction as well as Le Fort I osteotomy and sagittal splitting ramus osteotomy have been simulated . Other applications of haptic device in dentistry include periodontal probing, drilling for endodontic cavity preparation, apicectomy, and crown preparation, among others. Although some dental schools have already incorporated haptic simulation technology into their predoctoral curriculum, only a handful of preliminary studies have investigated the effectiveness of using these simulation devices in improving students' performance in operative procedures …”

Egocentric versus Allocentric Spatial Ability in Dentistry and Haptic Virtual Reality Training

“…Simulation‐based surgical training systems have emerged in the last several years as adjuncts in minimally invasive procedure training and the learning of new motor skills (Issenberg & Scalese, ; Scalese, Obeso, & Issenberg, ). In dentistry, haptic technology has been applied to various components of prosthetic laboratory phases and dental skill training (Buchanan, , ; Konukseven, Önder, Mumcuoglu, & Kisnisci, ; Marras, Nikolaidis, Mikrogeorgis, Lyroudia, & Pitas, ). Although there is increasing evidence from experimental psychology that the use of immersive virtual realities and haptic technology may require more egocentric than allocentric spatial processing (Kozhevnikov & Garcia, ; Volcic & Kappers, ), little is known about how these virtual environments interact with students' spatial abilities.…”

The importance of using mannequin-training models in first aid learning: Case of avulsed tooth

“…If students do not learn such a measure by using mannequin-training model, they do not take this action in a simulated crash. In different fields of dentistry, g. g. tooth extractions, it has been shown that practical skill training on models can significantly improve the performance of students prior to the transition to real patient [17,18]. Local anesthesia training models are also a valuable didactic complement and have beneficial effects [10,13,14].…”