GB2232084A

GB2232084A - An oral screening tool for use in dentistry

Info

Publication number: GB2232084A
Application number: GB8909500A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Giuseppe Totaro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-23
Filing date: 1989-04-26
Publication date: 1990-12-05
Also published as: FR2643253B3; DE3843531A1; FR2643253A1; GB8909500D0

Description

(Z) IE-3 -r-l LB250489 AN ORAL SCREENING TOOL FOR USE IN DENTISTRY This

invention relates to an oral screening tool to be applied by a dentist or technician to one or more teeth of a patient for isolating the operation or treatment zone in the mouth cavity.

More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a tool for automatically picking up and eliminating liquid from water jets coming from injectors of conventional tools, the water being sucked from a collection cavity which the operator adjusts each time in accordance with contingent use requirements.

The screening tool is generally flexible, and this flexibility permits the operator to reach the oral cavity without being obliged to remove any dental tool and to place it so that the patient's respiration is not hindered. The possibility of isolating spittle in the mouth cavity on the side of the dental intervention permits the dentist to operate aseptically and also to prevent medication, when used, entering the patient's mouth and being swallowed.

The invention also is concerned with an improved LB250489 dental treatment process using the screening tool. The present procedure requires establishing points to be bored in an elastic and waterproof sheet placed in an appropriate position on the buccal arch, then producing the required aperture and introducing therein a clamp with an arched spring so as to bring its inverted fins into a retention position between the spread aside periphery of the aperture. The clamp holding the sheet is then conformably fitted on the tooth. The sheet is afterwards stabilized under tension by fixing its edges onto a stiff frame which is perimetrally disposed thereabout.

In prior art dental treatments, operation of a dental tool and, therefore, of a water injector handled by the operator requires the presence of an assistant who has to remove liquids by means of an aspirator using steady movement. This does not prevent liquids from splashing in all directions damaging the patient's clothes and soiling the surroundings. It must be added that, in this respect, the use of the aspirator interferes with the tool used by the operator; this interference may lead to a collision between these instruments and hinders the visual perception of the area to be treated.

In addition, other drawbacks are to be noted when one has to operate in the inner part of the mouth. Any frame or clamp used must be removed by unhooking it from t_ LB250489 - 3 the tooth. An apparatus which covers the mouth with a fixed structure or sheet might, moreover, hinder the patient's respiration, and consequently, have to be removed. Mandible movement operating on the radial tension may also cause the clamp to be dislodged due to the fact that the sheet must be strongly tensioned on a stiff frame.

An object of the present invention is to avoid the above problems by means of a novel device which is directly and quickly fitted on one or more teeth by a single operator, can be changed to different positions by hand, and automatically eliminates liquids.

According to the present invention a screening tool for an oral cavity comprises a sheet of waterproof plastics material adapted to partially fit in the oral cavity, a frame adapted to fit on the sheet for retention thereof on the oral cavity, and at least one suction means associated with or included in the frame for removing liquid and solid matter from the sheet.

The invention is further concerned with a dental.treatment process, which inluces placing a flexible, elastic, waterproof, sheet over the oral cavity, shaping the sheet over the dental area to be treated, forming at least one opening in the sheet at a location LB250489 corresponding to the area, clamping the sheet to the area through the opening, and placing a frame against the sheet, the frame including suction means whereby liquids and solids deposited on the sheet during the treatment can be removed by one person.

A preferred embodiment of the presently proposed tool consists of a square, waterproof and elastic sheet contacted on three sides by a sucking device including two cannules formed by a pair of small pipes with a plurality of bores on their inner side. The sheet is preferably air-permeable and may be formed of rubber. The sheet is sized so that it does not fit over the nose of a patient. These cannules are fixed by means of a frame of flexible metal passing thpough them and uniting them in the middle of the lower side of the frame below which they enter a common collector fitted on a central aspirator with one or two other aspirator tubes. All are connected to a source of suction on the dental chair.

The operator lays the assembly on the relevant dental arch part, shapes the assembly and marks one or more openings according to the number of teeth he has to treat in that phase of the procedure. The operator then chooses the clamp he deems suitable among the available ones and mounts it to the chosen openings and the tool t LB250489 is then brought into position by fitting the clamp on the tooth. The use condition of the device is obtained by spreading apart the sheet with the fingers to widen the opening and by inserting the pair of reversed fins of the clamp into it. Once mounted the elastic sheet centrally anchored to the tooth defines a receptacle into which liquids drain. To adapt it to contingent use requirements, the operator can modify the disposition of the screening part by bending the flexible frame by hand in different ways. The oral cavity becomes thus thoroughly accessible by giving the screening part a funnel shape. Access can be obtained by shifting the sheet either to the right or to the left or upwards or downwards. This allows x-raying and anesthetizing any tooth and carrying out root canal work aseptically. When the instrument already fitted has to be applied to another tooth, the shape of a fishing net must be given to it so that its deepest part reaches the chosen tooth without tension. This point is marked and a further aperture formed. A clamp is then mounted in the fresh aperture and fixed to the said tooth by using a special tong.

For particular requirements, beside peripheral or marginal suction, a local mobile aspirator is provided. A small pipe fitted on the clutch of the dental chair suction source has small apertures on its sucking end LB250489 and, inside, it has a plasticized iron wire which is freely slidable and can be bent to maintain the desired fitting position. For positioning, the end part of the pipe is passed around the clamp so it is available to suck near the tooth. In the event of an obstruction, the small pipe can be moved, leaving the wire in the conduit to serve as a guide for another pipe.

The invention is further illustrated in non-limited fashion by the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the screening tool employing two mobil conduits for local suction; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the same tool fitted on a tooth, with a collection cavity formed by the elastic sheet carried or supported by a two-way suction or aspirating device held by traction on its central part by the tooth; Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the clamp which holds the sheet onto the tooth; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing how to reach the back part of the mouth cavity without disconnecting the -tool.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the presently preferred mode for carrying out the invention,

LB250489 the screening tool employs fixed lateral aspirating means comprising a pair of pipes or conduits 1 and 2 each having a hollow interior with bores 3 and 4 communicating with the hollow interior of conduits 1 and 2 respectively. The configuration of the conduits 1, 2 is stablized by means of a "U"-shaped frame formed of a flexible metal wire 5 which passes through the conduits to form a flexible frame structure for supporting an integral rubber sheet 6 on three sides. In order to pass the base of the flexible frame 5 through both conduits 1, 2 and connect the two pipes or conduits at a low intermediate point, a seal 7 is provided through which the frame 5 passes. The conduits 1, 2 and their supporting frame structures 5 thus provide a two-way aspirating arrangement on the upper surface of the integral sheet 6. The conduits 1, 2 each have their distal ends inwardly bent towards the sheet to provide additional stabilization of the overall tool.

Conduits 1, 2 have their other ends, remote from their inwardly bent ends, outwardly bent to form two substantially parallel portions beyond the intermediate point at which the seal 7 is provided. These end portions are set together in a sleeve 8 which guides them into a common collector 9 which leads to a first duct 10 fitted on the dental chair's aspirator. Mounted on the duct 10 is a first clutch 11 coupled with a pipe LB250489 12 which can be employed for local, mobile aspiration. For particular requirements, and to provide for further aspiration, another local or second aspiration pipe can be connected to a second clutch 13 which is fitted onto the duct 10.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the sheet 6 is formed of rubber or flexible, preferably air-permeable plastics and is of a size such that the nose of the patient is not covered.

The improved dental process treatment according to the present invention comprises placing the above described sheet 6 over the oral cavity and on an area of the teeth to be treated, making at least one opening in the sheet at a point corresponding to that area, clamping the sheet to the treatment area at the opening or openings, placing the aspirating frame 1 to 5 against the sheet 6 and aspirating liquid and solid on the sheet through the bores 3 and 4 into conduits 1 and 2, respectively, as the treatment is carried out.

The details of the sucking or aspirating frame construction, the anchoring means on the teeth, the disposition of the sucking or aspirating bores, the materials and other features of the invention may be otherwise than shown.

A LB250489 It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

LB250489

Claims

CLAIMS - 10 1. A screening tool for an oral cavity, comprising a sheet of

waterproof plastics material adapted to fit partially in the.oral cavity, a frame adapted to fit on said sheet to retain said sheet on said oral cavity, and suction means associated with said frame and said sheet for removing liquid and solid matter from said sheet.
2. A tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a pair of spaced aspirating conduits connected to a source of suction on a dental chair and, in said conduits, deformable metal wires whereby said frame can be adjusted in shape.
3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said conduits have distal inlet ends bent towards one another.
4. A tool as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said conduits have inner ends housed in a sleeve and connected to said source of suction, and said tool has at least one mobile aspirating conduit fitting in said sleeve and connected to said source for local aspiration of said sheet.
5. A tool as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein said conduits each have a plurality of bores connected to the 1 l; LB250489 - 1 1 - hollow interior of said conduits for aspirating through said bores.
6. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said sheet is square.
7. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said sheet is of a size such as not to overlap over the nose of a patient.
8. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said sheet is airpermeable.
9. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said sheet is of rubber.
10. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said frame is deformable.
11. A dental treatment process comprising the steps of:

- placing a flexible, waterproof, sheet over the oral cavity; - shaping said sheet over the dental area to be treated; forming at least one opening in said sheet at a location corresponding to said area; - clamping said sheet to said area through said LB250489 opening; and - placing a frame against said sheet, said frame including suction means whereby liquids and solids deposited on said sheet during said treatment can be removed by one person.
12. A process as claimed in claim 11 wherein said opening is placed over at least one tooth so that said sheet is centrally held by at least one tooth and forms a receptacle for collecting materials.
13. A screening tool for an oral cavity substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

1 Published 1990atThePatent Office. State House. 66 71 High Holborn. London WClR4TP. Further copies maybe obtained from The Patent Office. Sales Branch. St Mary Cray, Orpington. Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent, Con. 1187