A periotome is a hand-held manual instrument that dentists use during tooth extraction. Using the sharp blade at the tool tip, dentists cut the periodontal ligaments that bonds the alveolar bone and the cementum surrounding the roots of teeth. Since this procedure usually requires dentists to repeatedly apply a certain level of force on the hand-held tool during the long-time procedure, it leads to dentists' fatigue on their hands, inaccurate hand motion, and patients' discomfort. Motorized periotomes can significantly improve the tooth extraction procedure by decreasing the force required from a dentist and reducing the procedure time. In this paper, we consider simple designs for motor-powered periotomes focusing on dynamic behaviors. Since the motor inside the tool creates motion and the hand-held tool moves as a result of dynamic response, the analysis requires detailed consideration of many factors such as tool mass, hand stiffness and damping. The motion of the tool tip should be monitored in this analysis to maximize the cutting performance. The analysis results will be used for choosing design options and parameters. This approach will be demonstrated using dynamic modeling and computer simulations.
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