OPTIMIZATION OF DRILL DESIGN AND COOLANT SYSTEMS DURING DENTAL IMPLANT SURGERY

Dental implants are an effective alternative for the replacement of missing teeth. The success of the implant depends on how well a bone heals around the implant, a process known as osseointegration. However, excessive heat generated during the bone drilling will cause cell death and may prevent osseointegration of the implant, resulting in early failure. There are many factors which contribute to the heat generation during drilling. Experiments were carried out to investigate the affect of variable drilling factors on heat generation during drilling operation. Natural bone is not an ideal material for such research, as it varies widely in density and other parameters of interest.. It would be desirable to have a more uniform and consistent material to use in such studies. However, such a material must be similar to bone to allow the results to be extrapolated to the clinical situation. The current study describes and validates a model for use in such studies. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the material chosen for our studies. A theoretical model was developed to study the effect of different drilling parameters on temperature rise during drilling operations. Comparison of observed results obtained from experiments was made with the results from theoretical study. Comparison of results for PMM