A new dental robot is in development at the University of Basel in Switzerland to help with tooth drilling. It’s called the MIR, or Miniature Intraoral Robot, and its bite-sized design allows it to fit inside a patient’s mouth.
The aim is to speed up the process of fitting a new crown when tooth decay is discovered. Today, a patient with tooth decay needs multiple follow-up appointments to prepare the tooth for the new crown, including fitting a temporary crown. With the MIR, a dentist could scan the patient’s mouth and order a new crown during the first appointment, reducing the number of visits required.
The robot’s larger components, including the motor and controls, are kept outside the mouth and connected to the robot via cables and a drive shaft. It’s similar to the process used in cars to transfer motion from the motor to the wheels.
The robot is mounted to a custom-fitted dental splint, which attaches to the teeth. If the patient moves their head, the robot moves with it.
So far it’s been tested on fake ceramic teeth in a fake patient’s mouth but it’s not yet ready to be used on a human. The team plans to add sensors and a camera so the robot can keep track of its position, even during a power outage.
To see the robot in action, check out the video in this article.
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