Dental Implants : a robot the poses without assistance

Screenshot (YouTube)

Published the 24.09.2017 at 16h17

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Chineimplants dentairesrobots surgical

In China, the dentist is called Yomi. Without a phd or family name. And for good reason : Yomi is a robot. For the first time, he placed two dental implants in a patient without the assistance of a human being. A feat that took place in the city of Xi’an, in China, and as reported by the South China Morning Post.

The robot in question has been developed by an american firm, Neocis Inc. But it is not for nothing that the first tests are made in the Middle kingdom. According to a recent survey, 400 million Chinese have at least one dental implant. And the country is facing a shortage of dentists that lasts.

A woman volunteered for the first world. Two dental implants were 3D printed and then delivered to the robot. It is programmed to only tolerate a margin of error minimal. This is supposed to limit the errors that would have been able to engage a human being.

Licensed in the United States

If Yomi responds to a program which is conducted in advance, it is also able to adapt to the movements of the patient. And that is exactly what he has done during this intervention. Capacity carefully checked before proceeding to the intervention itself. In fully automated mode, the robot american has implanted two artificial teeth.

“Yomi is a precision instrument that allows you to ensure that the implant will go exactly in the expected place “, summarizes Dr. Jeffrey Ganeles, a dentist in Florida. The implants do, is without a doubt only a beginning. The Chinese hope to also make a tool for treatment of dental caries, which also pose a real problem in the country.

The United States could also take the plunge, since Yomi is authorized by the Authority to the u.s. food and drug administration (FDA) since last march. But it is not yet known for the interventions and fully automated. For the time being, the robot can be used as a guiding tool.

Few injuries

The absence totally of human assistance could be worrying, but the dentists chinese have been cautious. The placement of the implants did not need to intervene, but they remained close to the robot in order to take back control if necessary.

Furthermore, an american study conducted in 2013 has delivered results rather reassuring in the field of robotic surgery. On the 10 000 procedures carried out between 2000 and 2013, only 144 have led to the death of the patient. Is slightly more that 1.4 per cent.

The most common uses – gynecology and urology – are also the safest. In contrast, in areas as complex as the head and neck are slightly more at risk of injury.