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4Robot technology in analyzing tooth removal, a proof of concept59IntroductionTooth removal, or exodontia, is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures on our planet. Despite its high prevalence, surprisingly little is known about this procedure. During these procedures, dental surgeons use a combination of subtle movements and strong forces to free a tooth from its surrounding bony socket. Previous (very limited) research aimed at measuring just the total amount of forces necessary for exodontia [1-5]. The precise direction (in three dimensions) of the involved forces and the movements of the dental surgeon were, to the authors’ knowledge, never before subject to research. The latter is probably due to the limitations of available instruments to, precisely, measure these parameters in a “keyhole” environment. It has led to a large scientific gap, which becomes more evident when looking at the education of dental students. Tooth removal is the most invasive procedure dental students need to learn during their training but it is also the single procedure for which adequate preclinical training possibilities are absent or largely inadequate [6, 7]. Up until today students mostly learn their skills from textbooks with only minor instructions and train their skillset on actual patients [7]. Students in well-developed countries, where extensive preventive dentistry programs are present, are suffering from decreased exposure to ‘learning by experience’ because less teeth need to be removed in general. This contributes to low confidence levels in tooth removal procedures of young dentists and an increase in referrals to (more expensive) oral and maxillofacial surgery practices[7, 8]. Complete data on every aspect of these procedures is needed to be able to understand what makes (un-)successful tooth removal and to scientifically describe and model the procedure. This dataset should additionally contain clinical parameters and perioperative data to be able to find relevant parameters in successful tooth removal. It would facilitate the design of evidence-based educational instruments but, next to that, it has the potential to help clinicians predict clinical outcomes (i.e. complicated treatments) and could lead to more (cost-) efficient referrals to oral and maxillofacial surgeons.The goal of this project is to design a measurement setup that captures the high forces and subtle movements involved in tooth removal procedures in detail. The design of the setup and integration of, amongst others, a collaborative robot and 6-axis forcetorque sensor are shown in this article together with first results as a proof of concept.Tom van Riet.indd 59 26-10-2023 11:59