Abstract
An ultrasonic dental scaler is an equipment to remove dental calculi from teeth. A conventional scaler consists of handpiece with a Langevin type ultrasonic transducer and a driver circuit to vibrate at resonance frequency. The transducer has a horn to enhance vibration and a tip to scale the calculi. On the back of the transducer, a rubber hose is connected to supply water to the scaling points. Such a transducer has two problems. One is vibration damping due to the water hose. The other is resonance frequency shift according to contact load on the tip. Two types of transducer are fabricated to compare influence of the hose connecting method. Measuring electric Q factor with water flowing, side connection seems to decrease the damping rather than back connection. A new transducer is designed based on the comparison result. To trace the frequency shift, we develop a resonance trace system. Arranging operating frequency based on detected current phase, the system can trace mechanical resonance with time delay of 17 ms. We also propose teeth diagnosis using the resonance trace system. Observing the resonance frequency shift when the tip contacts a material, stiffness of the material can be estimated. The shift comparison result between a damaged tooth and a fine tooth shows possibility of dental caries diagnosis.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS Series C
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
