KATE MALMSBURY'S PORTFOLIO
DENTAL BUR INVESTIGATION
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SENIOR DESIGN
Spring 2019
CAD - CREO
Coding -Â Labview
Graphing - Excel
ME 470
Mechanical Engineering Senior Design
In ME 470, students work in teams under the supervision of MechSE professors to tackle real design problems, with multiple constraints, from manufacturers and service industries. Thanks to generous company sponsor donations, more than 4,500 senior mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics students have worked with 250 companies and institutions on more than 1,200 projects since 1991.
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Students gain a variety of benefits from this open-ended problem-solving experience, which requires them to synthesize and apply the knowledge they have gained through their engineering courses, to work within time, budget, and design constraints, and to present their progress and results through regular oral and written communications with company members.
DENTAL BUR INVESTIGATION TEAM
Executive Summary
Six years ago, a medical device company called Versah released a state-of-the art drill bit, the Densah Bur, used to prepare patients to receive a dental implant. The project sponsor, Dr. David J. Cross, is a specialist in the field who is interested in the possibility of adopting this new technology. However, he has doubts about its safety and biomechanical mechanisms. This report will illustrate how the tests performed have verified the effectiveness and safety of the tool, when used as prescribed, and how the test stand design was adequate to perform such analyses.
The design requirements of the test stand included accurate simulation of a dental implant procedure by keeping drilling pressure and angle constant. The goal of the test stand was to determine the following: the magnitude and dissipation pattern of heat generated by the bit, visual identification of bone matter compaction, comparison between the effects of the Densah Bur and traditional burs on tissue surfaces, and numerical quantification of the effect of saline irrigation during the procedure. The total cost to build the test stand and perform the tests was $1,055.67, including $279.00 allocated towards travel.
Testing was performed as close to surgical conditions as possible. The bone samples were heated to human body temperature and held by hand under the drill. The test stand constrained the drill such that it could move exclusively in the vertical direction and provide smooth, consistent action. Each test required the use of four Densah Burs of increasing diameter and an initial pilot bur. A total of 25 tests were performed on both bone and translucent viscous fluid to obtain temperature data and high-quality video footage.
The testing results showed that the Densah Bur does not create unsafe conditions when it is used with high speeds and copious irrigation, as prescribed. The results also demonstrated that when the Densah Bur was used incorrectly, it had the potential to produce unsafe conditions. These results indicate that Dr. Cross should feel comfortable using the tool with its prescribed protocol, which includes high drill speeds and with copious irrigation. Dr. Cross can be confident in maintaining the health of his patient’s structural tissues while also reaping the stability and healing benefits promised by the new technique.