Development of an educational support tool with a quantitative recording system and feedback function for scaler...

Area of Science:

• Dental Hygiene Education
• Biomedical Engineering
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Dental hygienist training relies heavily on tactile skills, which are difficult to teach objectively.
• Existing measurement systems for dental instruments lack visual feedback, limiting their use as self-learning tools.
• Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have been used to record scaler dynamics, but not for intuitive skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an objective, self-learning tool for dental hygienists.
• To provide real-time visual feedback on intraoral instrument manipulation.
• To quantify and display fixation pressure during dental scaling procedures.

Main Methods:

• Installed two sensor types on a dental scaler and the back of the hand.
• Developed a monitor application for real-time visual feedback of scaler and wrist movements.
• Integrated a function to measure and display fixation pressure on the supporting tooth.

Main Results:

• The developed system provides intuitive, real-time visual feedback for dental scaling operations.
• It allows for objective measurement and display of fixation pressure.
• The system integrates scaler dynamics, wrist movements, and fixation pressure for comprehensive feedback.

Conclusions:

• This novel system enhances dental hygienist training by offering objective, visual feedback.
• It addresses the limitations of traditional teaching methods for tactile skills.
• The tool supports self-directed learning and skill refinement for dental students.