I-Corps: Piezoelectric Actuation for Tooth Extraction and Dental Procedures

Stevens Institute Of Technology, Hoboken NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Tooth extraction procedures have gone relatively unchanged for decades involving only minimal innovation focused around instrument refinement. Little progress has been made in the changing of the extraction process. Traditional tooth extractions require separation of the tooth from the surrounding gums by cutting of the tissue. This is followed by the extraction that uses the neighboring teeth as a fulcrum to wedge the tooth from the socket. As a result, partial extraction (leaving the roots) and adjacent tooth breakage can occur, thereby causing local trauma and extra healing time. In this proposal, a mechanism employing vibratory motion to loosen the tooth from the gum tissue without cutting and subsequently vibrate the tooth from the socket has been proposed. The vibration mechanism will be integrated into existing dental instruments. The result is a less traumatic removal of the tooth and a reduced time for healing. With an annual market of 8 billion dollars in the dental field associated with tooth extractions, the introduction of these devices is timely and viable. Further, the use of this technology in the veterinary field where the market potential may be twice that associated with human tooth extractions makes for a less burdensome undertaking and can provide a validated method and process prior to FDA regulatory compliance. The proposal seeks to achieve tooth extraction via oscillatory motion. The loosening of the tooth is accomplished by employing a piezoelectric actuator which displays displacement proportional to the electric current applied. The displacement characteristics of these actuators can be altered by varying the frequency and magnitude of the current through the device. Due to their small geometry, they can be incorporated into existing instruments currently utilized in the dental field. In the new extraction process, the tooth is separated from the restraining tissues using a non-cutting vibrating blade secured to a piezoelectric handle (periotome). The tooth is secured using the traditional instrument (forceps) equipped with the piezoelectric device and vibrated loose from the socket rather than pulled in the traditional manner. The new extraction process employing vibratory motion reduces local trauma, reduces healing time, and minimizes the likelihood of adjacent tooth damage since surrounding teeth are often used as lever arms to aid in the extraction process. Incorporation of the piezo-actuation into the traditional dental instruments will permit a reduced learning curve and improve the likelihood of acceptance by clinicians as minimal deviations from conventional practice is involved.During the I-Corps curriculum, the team will access the market opportunity, refine the minimum viable product and outline commercialization plans for the device platform capable of transforming an existing 6 billion dollar annual market.