Force-Guided Alignment and File Feedrate Control for Robot-Assisted Endodontic Treatment

Due to the precise manipulations required in dental surgery, robotic technologies have been applied to dentistry. So far, most dental robots are designed for implant surgery, helping dentists accurately place the implant to the desired position and depth. This paper presents the DentiBot, the first robot designed for dental endodontic treatment. Without visual feedback, the DentiBot is integrated with a force and torque sensor to monitor the contact between the root canal and endodontic file. Additionally, DentiBot is implemented with force-guided alignment and file feedrate control to autonomously adjust surgical path and compensate for patient movement in real-time while protecting against endodontic file fracture. The feasibility of robot-assisted endodontic treatment is verified by the pre-clinical evaluation performed on acrylic root canal models.