BME.04 – Miniature Handheld EC Cleaner for Biomedical Applications
Team Members Heading link
- Naveed Hasan
- Hafsa Hussain
- Hanna Ibrahim
- Tayff Mahmud
- Farasha Mehnaz
- Madison Miko
Project Description Heading link
A root canal is a standard dental procedure aimed at preserving natural teeth and alleviating pain caused by infection of the dental pulp. Despite the procedure’s high success rate, reinfection is still a common issue due to bacteria residing in the complex geometry of the tooth. Current disinfection techniques include flooding the cavity with Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) and using a dental reamer in order to file away at bacteria residing in the inner walls of the tooth. Through this procedure, NaOCl and the reamer are unable to reach irregularities in the tooth cavity, and the pulp, a connective layer of tissue, blood, and nerves, can become damaged due the harshness of the solution. This causes additional pain and complications for patients, and ultimately necessitates procedural revision, which can be inconvenient and expensive. The aim of the project is to develop a low-cost, handheld electrochemical device engineered to deliver an optimal 9-12 volts and 50-70 milliamps of current, specifically designed for effective bacteria eradication during root canal disinfection. The ability of this device to successfully agitate disinfecting solution in order to thoroughly clean the complex canal system can greatly improve the effectiveness of the root canal procedure. To determine the precise voltage values needed to deliver the desired current outputs of 50-70 mA, the relationship between voltage and current through the reamer was studied. Five trials were performed across a voltage range of 0-20 V. For each trial, voltage vs. current graphs were plotted, and linear regression was performed to calculate R2 values. Currents at the set voltages were averaged and plotted with error bars and linear regressions. The results showed that the overall R2 value was 0.984. With this linear regression, it was found that a higher voltage is required to reach the desired 50-70 mA of current delivered to the artificial saliva solution, therefore rejecting the original requirement. This device can not only alleviate patient discomfort and minimizing financial burdens, but also streamlining the workload for endodontists by reducing the necessity for revision procedures.