Anatomic Apparatus and Training System for Remote and Interactive Hands-On Surgical Training for Dentists

Abstract

A training system for dental procedures having a training device and a self-assessment for use with the training device is described. The training device is printed with a 3D printer and includes a predetermined anatomic form of at least a portion of a human jaw structure and a predetermined anatomic form of at least one human tooth structure. Part of the printed human tooth structure is rooted in the printed human jaw structure, and both structures are designed to have at least one analogous physical property to their corresponding human structures. The self-assessment includes a pictorial array of procedural outcomes of a procedural step so that a user can identify which image in the pictorial array best represents the user's own procedural outcome of the procedural step performed by the user on the training device and at least one feedback instruction.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A training device comprising a 3D-printed jaw structure and a 3D printed tooth, the 3D-printed jaw structure and the 3D-printed tooth structure having, respectively, a predetermined anatomic form of at least a portion of a human jaw structure and a human tooth structure, the 3D-printed jaw structure and the 3D-printed tooth structure each having, respectively, at least one analogous physical property to a human jaw and a human tooth, at least one of the 3D-printed jaw structure and the 3D-printed tooth structure including a first polymer and a second polymer, one of the first and second polymers being harder than another of the first and second polymers. 
     
     
         2 . The training device of  claim 1 , wherein the one of the first and second polymers is dissolvable with NaOCl and the another one of the first and second polymers is not dissolvable with NaOCl. 
     
     
         3 . The training device of  claim 1 , wherein, the 3-D printed jaw structure is selected from the group consisting of gingival soft tissue, bone, medullary soft tissue inside boney trabecula, periodontal ligament, and diseased tissue. 
     
     
         4 . The training device of  claim 1 , further comprising a second 3D-printed tooth structure having a predetermined anatomic form of a human tooth different than the predetermined anatomic form of the 3D-printed human tooth structure. 
     
     
         5 . The training device of  claim 4 , wherein a root canal system of the second 3D-printed tooth structure is different than a root canal system of the 3D-printed human tooth structure. 
     
     
         6 . The training device of  claim 4 , wherein the 3D-printed tooth structure has a first level of clinical difficulty and the second 3D-printed tooth structure has a second level of clinical difficulty different than that of the first level. 
     
     
         7 . The training device of  claim 1 , further comprising a self-assessment for use with the training device, the self-assessment including a pictorial array of procedural outcomes of a procedural step so that a user can identify which image in the pictorial array best represents the user's own procedural outcome of the procedural step performed by the user on the training device. 
     
     
         8 . The training device of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of at least one of 3D-printed jaw structure and the 3D-printed tooth structure is radio-opaque. 
     
     
         9 . The training device of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the 3D-printed jaw structure and the 3D-printed tooth structure simulate a color of the corresponding analogous physical property. 
     
     
         10 . The training device of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D-printed tooth structure is insertable to, and removable from the 3D-printed jaw structure.