Towards a realistic haptic-based dental simulation

Recently there has been a remarkable increase in the use of technology in medical and dental education. Haptics technologies allow the operator to interact with the simulation environment using the sense of touch. In this paper we investigate three facets for realistic simulation with periodontists: (1) a custom grip is designed to attach dental instruments to the haptic interface in order to enhance the grip, (2) two haptic interfaces are utilized to simulate haptic feedback with both the dental instrument and the mirror instrument, and (3) a finger rest mechanism based on parallel manipulation is used for the intraoral fulcrum during probing. A haptic-based simulation system, named the Haptodont, is developed to evaluate the three facets of realism. A subjective evaluation is conducted with five dental experts to collect more information about perceptions, insights, and experiences to shape the second generation requirements and design for the Haptodont system. Future work will focus on further development and quantitative usability testing (with both dental experts and students) with the goal to improve the educational experience, outcomes and skills of clinicians/students.